When a neurologist makes a diagnosis of PD, nothing truly changes from the moment the patient and family first came to the office, except confirmation of the disease. But I have heard the moment described as the emotional equivalent of being hit by the entire defensive line of a pro football team. It is an understatement to say a family is left reeling and confused. The subsequent sense of disorientation endures for weeks or months. In fact, my clinical experience leads me to wonder if the disorientation from the blow doesn't take several years to subside.