Therapy:
A therapy for the cause of Huntington’s disease is currently not possible. The excessive movement disorders can be suppressed with medication. Under certain circumstances, accompanying psychotherapy or joining a self-help group can help patients to process the knowledge about the disease.
Dementia
In addition to the classic movement disorders, Huntington’s disease also causes psychological changes. These are disorders of the affect (= mood swings up to depression), but also cognitive limitations. These often manifest themselves in the early stages through memory disorders.
The patient’s intellectual abilities are only slightly limited at the beginning; this is often not necessarily noticed by outsiders. As the disease progresses, there is an increasing loss of cognitive abilities up to dementia. This leads to speech impoverishment and patients are often completely disoriented.
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