By the time you present to your neurologist with your first Parkinson's symptoms, something like half of the neurons in that region of the brain are already dead. There's a lot of overlap between Parkinson's and mental illness too. depression actually doubles or higher your risk of Parkinson's disease. Schizophrenia, like the risk goes through the roof.
Christopher Palmer, MD, is the Director of the Department of Postgraduate and Continuing Education at McLean Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. For over 27 years he’s held administrative, educational, research, and clinical roles in psychiatry. His new book, Brain Energy: A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Health—and Improving Treatment for Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD, and More, is out now.