14/06/2026 09:59 - Salud
Cerebro humano estilizado con neuronas y conexiones de dopamina representadas con luz cálida, figura humana silueta mostrando contraste entre movimiento fluido y rigidez, ambiente médico profesional con tonos esperanzadores.
When a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease arrives, it presents unexpected news that can fracture the identity of the person receiving it. The symptom that immediately appears in most people's minds is the image of a trembling hand. However, those who experience this condition and their caregivers know that behind that motor sign lies a complex psychological and cognitive reconfiguration.
Parkinson's is a neurodegenerative disease that primarily affects the production of dopamine, a key neurotransmitter not only for movement but also for the pleasure and motivation circuits. In Argentina, this condition gained significant visibility through the case of Carlos "Indio" Solari, a legendary Argentine rock musician (former leader of the band Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota), who revealed his diagnosis in 2016, bringing the reality of the disease to the public eye.
What the patient experiences and expresses to their environment is loss. Loss of control, spontaneity, and autonomy. Small daily acts become increasingly difficult: buttoning a shirt, typing on a computer, or signing a document turns into a battle against their own nervous system.
This new reality leads to a change in self-image perception. The affected person no longer recognizes themselves in a body that doesn't respond with the speed and practicality they had before the diagnosis, explained psychologist Alexis Alderete (MP 85367), a specialist in Anxiety Disorders and Skills Training.
For others, there is a characteristic symptom that generates constant confusion: hypomimia or "mask face". "The loss of facial expressiveness causes the environment to incorrectly interpret that the patient is angry, distant, or disinterested, when what they are experiencing is muscle rigidity that prevents emotions from being reflected on the face," Alderete added.
This phenomenon can significantly affect interpersonal relationships, as family, friends, and coworkers may mistakenly interpret the lack of facial expressiveness as emotional coldness or lack of interest.
Patient treatment can never be solely neurological; it requires an interdisciplinary approach where psychotherapy is a fundamental pillar.
"There is suffering when facing the loss of interest, initiative, and the beginning of slow reactions in all areas. Carrying out a new design for the patient's life project, providing coping tools, and fundamentally accompanying the family to avoid caregiver burnout," the specialist explains.
The concept of "caregiver burnout" is crucial: family members accompanying Parkinson's patients also need psychological support to sustain their caregiving role without becoming physically and emotionally exhausted.
To slow disease progression, maintaining an active life purpose—whether creating, teaching, connecting with others, practicing art, or simply accompanying others—is one of the most powerful cognitive protective factors known against progressive deterioration.
"Not because it stops the disease, but because it preserves what the disease most wants to destroy: meaning," affirmed Alderete, who also completed a Clinical Sexology Postgraduate degree (Argentine Society of Human Sexuality).
The challenge is helping the patient understand that, although Parkinson's alters how they will live the coming years, the essence of who that person is, with their own vital history, remains intact. "It's about learning to inhabit the body from a new score, finding dignity, meaning, and connection in every possible movement," the specialist concluded.
Sources: Telefe Noticias | Diario Uno
Alfredo S. Quiroga
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