“I don't have Huntington's disease”: the boundaries between acceptance and understanding

Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited disease that leads to an inexorable progression of motor, cognitive and psychiatric disturbances. In the initial stages, the symptoms are not clearly disabling, and the patient may present a lack of awareness about the symptoms themselves, which we call...

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Main Authors: Gustavo Leite Franklin, Hélio A. Ghizoni Teive, Francisco Eduardo Cardoso
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Thieme Revinter Publicações 2023-07-01
Series:Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria
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Online Access:http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.1055/s-0043-1768158
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author Gustavo Leite Franklin
Hélio A. Ghizoni Teive
Francisco Eduardo Cardoso
author_facet Gustavo Leite Franklin
Hélio A. Ghizoni Teive
Francisco Eduardo Cardoso
author_sort Gustavo Leite Franklin
collection DOAJ
description Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited disease that leads to an inexorable progression of motor, cognitive and psychiatric disturbances. In the initial stages, the symptoms are not clearly disabling, and the patient may present a lack of awareness about the symptoms themselves, which we call anosognosia. However, anosognosia might not justify all passivity of the HD patient in face of the diagnosis. Patients may also experience the denial of illness, as a stage of grief, expected to happen in the face of the diagnosis of any neurodegenerative disorder. In addition, people with HD tend to be more apathetic, and more silent, in regular consultations. In the present article, the authors express a point of view, discussing the behavior of the HD patient, in which there is a multifactorial passivity, in the face of the diagnosis and of the disease itself. Having the proper knowledge of this situation may prepare the neurologist to better understand the patient and the evolution of the disease.
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spelling doaj-art-a1a7ed8f88ba499a95ea76b4eb2de49b2025-08-20T03:18:59ZengThieme Revinter PublicaçõesArquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria0004-282X1678-42272023-07-01810769669910.1055/s-0043-1768158“I don't have Huntington's disease”: the boundaries between acceptance and understandingGustavo Leite Franklin0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0207-3671Hélio A. Ghizoni Teive1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2305-1073Francisco Eduardo Cardoso2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0808-0116Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Departamento de Medicina Interna, Curitiba PR, Brazil.Universidade Federal do Paraná, Departamento de Medicina Interna, Serviço de Neurologia, Unidade de Distúrbios do Movimento, Curitiba PR, Brazil.Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Departamento de Medicina Interna, Serviço de Neurologia, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil.Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited disease that leads to an inexorable progression of motor, cognitive and psychiatric disturbances. In the initial stages, the symptoms are not clearly disabling, and the patient may present a lack of awareness about the symptoms themselves, which we call anosognosia. However, anosognosia might not justify all passivity of the HD patient in face of the diagnosis. Patients may also experience the denial of illness, as a stage of grief, expected to happen in the face of the diagnosis of any neurodegenerative disorder. In addition, people with HD tend to be more apathetic, and more silent, in regular consultations. In the present article, the authors express a point of view, discussing the behavior of the HD patient, in which there is a multifactorial passivity, in the face of the diagnosis and of the disease itself. Having the proper knowledge of this situation may prepare the neurologist to better understand the patient and the evolution of the disease.http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.1055/s-0043-1768158Huntington DiseaseAgnosiaCognitive DysfunctionDoença de HuntingtonAgnosiaDisfunção Cognitiva
spellingShingle Gustavo Leite Franklin
Hélio A. Ghizoni Teive
Francisco Eduardo Cardoso
“I don't have Huntington's disease”: the boundaries between acceptance and understanding
Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria
Huntington Disease
Agnosia
Cognitive Dysfunction
Doença de Huntington
Agnosia
Disfunção Cognitiva
title “I don't have Huntington's disease”: the boundaries between acceptance and understanding
title_full “I don't have Huntington's disease”: the boundaries between acceptance and understanding
title_fullStr “I don't have Huntington's disease”: the boundaries between acceptance and understanding
title_full_unstemmed “I don't have Huntington's disease”: the boundaries between acceptance and understanding
title_short “I don't have Huntington's disease”: the boundaries between acceptance and understanding
title_sort i don t have huntington s disease the boundaries between acceptance and understanding
topic Huntington Disease
Agnosia
Cognitive Dysfunction
Doença de Huntington
Agnosia
Disfunção Cognitiva
url http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.1055/s-0043-1768158
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