has anybody come across violence in PSP eg... - PSP Association
has anybody come across violence in PSP eg puinching?
that was supposed to say punching - sorry
Yes unfortunately.
My dad recently went through an aggressive stage (I posted about it here) where he was not only verbally aggressive but started to get physical too. It was a quite frightening stage as it's early days and as a family, we didn't want to deal with aggression every day. This disease is horrible and had a number of awful symptoms but aggression is one that no one could put up with.
Thankfully it only lasted a few months and then went away. I don't know if I was just a phase or if us being very firm with him about how it was unacceptable helped. He'll have the odd outburst now but it's rare
I hope it's short lived for you too.
Mum one day stood and slapped at me over and over again whilst making a bizarre noise instead of explaining what she wanted to do when someone was at the door. It was totally out of character and I worried that it might become worse and so on but she never did it again. I took it as a moment of frustration and made sure that she always had a choice in what was happening.
Yes verbal aggressive, but angry with me and not accepting the condition. It is very hard
Unfortunately yes, my grandpa had begain to get aggressive with my gran with his temper then from no where started to get physical with her which ended in a black eye and bruises. He use to grab people and try and hurt them with a tight grip while making a funny noise but most of the time he was too weak to hurt anyone but the punching still happened. He was admitted to hospital for his medicine review and the doc have said that this is part of PSP and that it will always be an issue.
They now have him on anti-psychotic drugs (which sound a tad extreame but it is a very very low dose) but these have really helped with his angrer and since taking them has stopped lifting his hands to anyone. he seems more back to his normal self after taking these and is more happy and settled.
Hopefully it was just a one off for all your parents that have been aggressive but if not then go and speak to your doc's and ask for a review 
Dear Sanandgeoff,
Yes - only directed at me (& unfortunately in presence of young child as well - so of course has it own set of problems, currently being addressed). When I started to speak out - and asked as a 'third party' I was always met with responses like 'your husband is such a lovely, kind man, aren't you glad he isn't like that...and was dutifully informed it was not a characteristic of PSP. (I've now decided that there are quite a few that need to open their eyes to what terrible things MAY happen and is 'unspoken' about this ghastedly disease..)
Yes, so I tried to dismiss and get John to change, went round and round in circles - for a time tolerated actions and 'different' behaviours and also so hoped it would pass. In that time I had to be continually 'on guard and became very untrusting of my husband'.
Then decided NO MORE would be tolerated. So John moved out. He still unfortunately speaks to me of how as his wife I have not honoured my vows and should tolerate his sickness and all that goes with it, and is arranging for our home to be sold because I could not handle living in such a situation anymore. I hate that he acts this way as he certainly would not have accepted it of ANYONE in the past!
Yes, this disease is destroying for so many things including one's self-esteem. To this day, I do not know if it is his disease, the medication he is on, or if he has just become someone totally different from the man I married 26 years ago. Either way - I don't like it one bit!
Regards,
Alana - Western Australia
YES YES and YES
My husband is verbally aggressive, mainly towards me but now to our son who getting more involved with his care, almost on a daily basis. He can also be physically abusive towards me, punching, kicking, biting even, but it has slowed down a little. However,he has what I can only describe as dementia modes where he will refuse to to co-operate in his care or refuse To go to bed and insist on sleeping in the living room at night. As a consequence neither of us gets much sleep and the result is the next morning he sleeps while I am utterly exhausted but still have to carry on. NOBODY seems to understand any of this and merely tell me that it could be part of the disease, too darn right it is!!
By the way LynnWV, I would be interested to know what anti-psychotic drugs your grandpa is on and the dosage.
Take care
Dorothy thompson
Not as extreme physically as some have told about here but my Dad was extremely verbally aggressive for about 4 years. His temper was absolutely unbelievable and shocking. The screaming and shouting never ended and was about the most trivial of things or things that just weren't an issue. He was obsessed with a few things too. He would throw things as us or stand really up in your face waving his hands about aggressively. One time I think he was on the verge of really lashing out but my large rather dog intervened on my behalf, growling at him and jumping up on him to push him back. He's nearly 8 stone in weight and has very big teeth so it did the trick, Dad backed off. What made this worse was that so much of it was then directed at my Mum who was terminal with cancer at the time. Of course, we had no idea he had PSP at that time either so had no idea where this was coming from. He did get put on medication for "anxiety" from the doctor but it had no effect so he stopped it. Now it has settled down and while he is still stubborn and awkward, and does get agitated if he has too many questions directed at him, he mostly just ignores us or complies with us. I truly hope that for all that are experiencing abuse either physical or mental that it passes soon for you. I hope the fact that it passed naturally for Dad means that it will for you too.
I agree with the others. From all the research I've done, extreme swings of emotion are very common with PSP. My step-dad shoved the wheelchair hard enough at my Mom that it knocked the wind out of her and made an awful bruise, just because he wanted to walk to the bathroom and she was insisting that he use the wheelchair. As others have mentioned the physical aggression often lacks "bite" because of physical weakness, but when it flares, it still isn't pleasant for those on the receiving end or watching. Fortunately, they are periods so they come and go, rather than sticking around. It's not only the "bad" emotions, but good ones. My step-dad shows signs of having a "funny bone" -- never before has he ever experienced or shown the ability to laugh and tease, so there are some good side effects of the disease.
Hang in there. This is a wonderful group of people. It is good to have a place to ask questions, get opinions, and to just know that you're not alone. Many on this list are far more knowledgeable about PSP than the medical staff. Feel free to ask or share anything -- good or bad.
Cindy.
NO! I never experienced any physical violence from my Bride. A little verbal tit for tat which we could laugh about afterwards. I'm sure I sometimes honestly deserved a punch on the nose when I was on carers overload but it never came!
Maybe swings in mood are part and parcel of PSO/CBD disease. BUT....I find it hard to believe that violent action is inherrant in the malady.
Let's try a bit of empathy together. (I hasten to add I'm not a shrink!)
Just for a minute let us put ourself in the shoes of a loved one who has UNJUSTLY been given this horrendous diagnosis .PSP/CBD can strike the sweetest person as it can hit the nastiest. Man or woman.
Very difficult ,I know ,but please bear with me....It'll take a few minutes...
We know these innocent persons did nothing to get the disease...it just visited and squatted their brain. Which at the time of diagnosis the patient could generally comprehend . Then after finding out what physical horrors are in store as it progresses, start to get depressed then have to take it out on someone.They start to play the blame game.
And unfortunately it becomes obvious that 'someone' is going to be the Primary Carer and close family members.
When there has already been latent animosity in a couple or family and as no-one yet knows where the malady PSP/CBD comes from.Their mind is working overtime to find out what happened to them or when that upset occurred which could have caused the onset of their decline.
Their obsession is to find out what caused them to get stricken with this obnoxious disease that's going TO KILL ME. I'M INNOCENT! I'M GOING TO DIE! I'M A CONDEMNED INNOCENT PERSON! I DIDN'T EVEN STAND TRIAL!
Phew! That's terrible.Let me out of here!
I think that's when the patients might loose their cool and resort to violence.
Please tell me if I make some sense with this theory ....or I need to see a shrink!!!
best,brian
My mother was a person who was well educated and enjoyed nothing more than articles or material that tended to educate oneself. With PSP there came a time when she thoroughly enjoyed watching sit coms (very out of character for her) daily. When a character on the show was injured or hurt she would laugh aloud. The more animated their physical movements the funnier she thought they were. Kramer on Seinfeld was her favorite. She also enjoyed Friends and King of Queens. These were shows she never would have been interested when she was healthy. It was astonishing how much she would enjoy watching their antics. If a family member was in pain she would laugh, laugh, laugh. This was out of character for her.
During her stay at an assisted living facility one of the floor staff that she didn't care for attempted to give her ativan, a med that mom was very opposed to taking. Although mom only had the use of her right hand, she knocked the glass of water from the staffs
hand to prevent the woman from administering the med. Had the staff been trained they would have simply let it go and written it as a med refusal. Instead, the staff stated that mom had assaulted her.
I think, for me, the most frustrating part of her disease was trying to make people understand that you could reason with a PSP'er until the cows came home and they still would continue on with the behavior. Several hot topics were trips to the bathroom, getting up and walking without assistance, going to bed and staying in bed, etc. - all the things that each caregiver struggles with daily. Unless you are with a person 24/7 it is difficult for others to understand the energy put forth to maintain someone with PSP. I wouldn't trade any of my time helping her. It really was an honor for me. Even so, the mental toll is significant. And as her disease progressed there were fewer and fewer visits from friends.
I admire all of you for continuing to care for your family member. It is a daunting and exhausting task.
Kathy
Yes, in my case Tony would manage to trip me up as I passed his chair, causing me to fall and sometimes even twisting my knee. I put it down to a combination of frustration and not realising the consequence of his actions so I just tried to be more careful and not put myself in the wrong place. Rather like treating a young child who has not yet learnt to think ahead.
Best of luck - just another thing to be looking out for!
Mo
Thank you to all who have replied to me........be strong x
I haven't yet but I recognize the potential as time goes by. I'm finding myself less patient and more impulsive i.e. yelling at the dog whereas I normally wouldn't, slapped a wall once, have raised my voice/borderline yelling at medical staff, tho it could be argued some have deserved it:). It's a negative energy that comes from within and sometimes with no warning. I am on an antidepressant and a mild sedatives. Surely helps keep it within control/takes the edge off. Have my head screwed on so tight to not allow this behavior to seep thru, because if it begins for real, especially with one or both children at home, my whole game plan will change with removing myself from my home setting. Won't put them thru it. Focusing on meditating, spiritualism, good nutrition, and old-fashioned self-control helps a lot. But this 'acting-out' behavior feels involuntary and I don't like it a bit. Have to keep it at bay as along as possible.
Good luck to you, too.
Judy
It is hard it's allways the one you love, and the one that cares for you that suffers most. I have never and hopefully never harm my Wife but I have noticed at times I have been verbaly abusive, this before was never in my nature. I do hope She knows this;
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