Understanding Huntington's Disease

Psychiatric Effects Of Huntington's Disease

Huntington's disease patients may experience symptoms of mental illness like social withdrawal and isolation, feelings of sadness or irritability, depression, insomnia, lethargy, fatigue, thoughts of death and suicide, delusions, hallucinations, and anxiety. Such psychiatric symptoms are often experienced as the most distressing aspect of the disease. Hospitalization is sometimes required. Some typical behavioral changes include bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, which are largely the result of the impact of the disease on the brain's neurons. Treatment includes medication to help manage psychiatric symptoms and doctors recommend that a patient's treatment plan along with their goals be regularly reviewed and updated.