Pilot program will study stress in Parkinson’s – Newsday

A grantby the Parkinson's Foundation is to be used by Stony Brook Renaissance School of Medicine to study the effect of stress management on patients newly diagnosed with the disease.

The $15,000, one-year community award is to launch a pilot study to evaluate the effectiveness of Stony Brooks Stress Management and Resilience Training (SMART) on patients newly diagnosed with Parkinsons disease.

The program brings groups of Parkinsons patients and caregivers together with clinical psychologists at Stony Brook, where a focus is placed on the behavioral health aspects of Parkinsons care.

The money was awarded to Dr. Adam Gonzalez, the director of behavioral health and founding director of the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center at Stony Brook.

The pilot study is a collaborative effort between Gonzalez from the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health, and Dr. Guy Schwartz and Dr. Carine Maurer from Stony Brooks Department of Neurology.

Schwartz, co-director of the Parkinsons & Movement Disorders Center at Stony Brook, said the health system sees between 600 and 700 Parkinsons patients each year.

Stony Brookwill adapt and test the SMART program to alleviate mental health symptoms in patients with Parkinsons disease and their caregivers, said Maurer, an associate director at Stony Brook.

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Most people are familiar with the motor symptoms of Parkinsons, such as tremors and slowness, Maurer said. A large majority also struggle with non-motor symptoms like anxiety, depression, sleep difficulties and hallucinations.

Maurer said the groups will focus on developing better coping mechanisms, healthy eating, the importance of exercise, stress awareness and relaxation techniques. The groups will meet remotely because of the threat of COVID-19, she added.

Over a third of patients with Parkinsons nationwide experience mental health symptoms, according to Stony Brook.

These mental health symptoms have been linked to severe consequences, including poor quality of life, functional impairments, and poor treatment compliance. In addition, caregivers of patients with Parkinsons show increased risk for emotional and financial strain, reduced quality of life, and chronic mental and physical health symptoms.

David Reich-Hale reports on the business of health care, banking and other topics. He joined Newsday in 2014. He has also worked at American Banker and the New Haven Register. He is from Trumbull, Connecticut.

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Pilot program will study stress in Parkinson's - Newsday