As early as 1801, he wrote to friends describing his symptoms and the difficulties they caused in both professional and social settings (although it is likely some of his close friends were already aware of the problems).
Cara a comezos de 1801 Beethoven escribira a amigos describindo os seus síntomas e as dificultades que lle causaban tanto a nivel profesional como social (aínda que é probable que algúns dos seus amigos máis próximos xa coñecesen o seu problema).