In the last 2 decades there has been a significant change in the public attitude towards mental illness. Some people in the public eye, most notably Lady Diana, have been more open about the fact that they have suffered mental health problems. There is also a growing awareness that very traumatic events such as the Hillsborough disaster, produce mental health problems in most people. Most brain disorders increase the affected person's risk of getting mental health problems.
Brain disorders can be stressful to cope with but also alter temperament, emotion and thought.
The parts of the brain most affected in Huntington's disease, the basal ganglia, have a complex role in movement thinking and feeling so a wide range of difficulties can occur. Sometimes the mental changes are noticed before problems with movement. Problems with thinking including difficulty concentrating, remembering or reasoning things out also occur but in most cases such 'cognitive' problems are mild until the later stages and can seem worse than they are because of difficulties with communication. Personality can change in a number of ways. A previously outgoing person can be quieter, less sociable and less interested in things.