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mignon
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« on: May 05, 2010, 01:38:37 PM » |
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Okay, so this isn't an "health on the job" Q but it still seems like the most appropriate place to post, and I really need some general confidential support or feedback. This is about my mom. It is clear to everyone in my family that my mom has had mental problems for years, and they're getting worse as she gets older (she is almost 70). She constructs strange narratives about people (who are always cast in Absolute Evil terms), she attacks people verbally and without empathy, and she seems truly unable to control her anger. By contrast, when she is "herself," she is a wonderful person. It is so sad. We recently had a family meeting (without her knowledge) about how to get her into some sort of treatment, but she does not believe she has a problem. I wonder if anyone else has had experience in coaxing a loved one towards mental health evaluation and treatment?
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zuzu_
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« Reply #1 on: May 05, 2010, 01:42:09 PM » |
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Is your mother religious? Any chance of getting clergyperson involved?
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inthelab
Where beloved molecules abide
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 4,240
Who knew?
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« Reply #2 on: May 05, 2010, 01:44:44 PM » |
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Second getting an eval.
She could have an age-related dementia, Alzheimer's or organic brain syndrome. There are meds that can help.
Specialist who deal with geriatric patients are in order- neurologist, psychiatrist, etc.
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inthelab, I love you for that.
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stitch
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« Reply #3 on: May 05, 2010, 02:11:45 PM » |
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Are you aware of thread? Some similar issues have been discussed. |
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mignon
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« Reply #4 on: May 05, 2010, 02:50:29 PM » |
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Thanks, stitch. It's a helpful thread, although I don't think my mom's problems are age-related. She has no cognitive decline, and indeed she rock-climbs, loves Johnny Depp and is in general not "elderly," apart from the lifelong illness thing. That's part of what makes it so hard--she could be my best friend under other circumstances. Sigh.
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elsie
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« Reply #5 on: May 05, 2010, 03:00:20 PM » |
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I'm so sorry. I hope you figure out a way to get her treatment. We were never able to convince my mom to get treatment, and my dad refused to force the issue.
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"People assume that time is a strict progression from cause to effect. But actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff." - the Doctor
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neutralname
A person without qualities, except for being a
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« Reply #6 on: May 05, 2010, 03:00:36 PM » |
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Mignon
You don't say what kinds of problems this is causing in your mother's life. Is she losing all her friends? Is she becoming more isolated from family? If so, then how does she explain these effects?
If she is still obviously competent to make her own decisions, and she denies she has any problems, then there is little you can do. If she hasn't had similar problems in the past, then it's unusual for a mental illness, and might merit a visit to a neurologist.
Why doesn't she want to she a psychiatrist? Would she have a different attitude about a neurologist? Some people do. Could you put it to her just as a way of ruling out possible problems so she can ensure her future health and independence?
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"My loathings are simple: stupidity, oppression, crime, cruelty, soft music." Vladimir Nabokov
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mignon
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« Reply #7 on: May 05, 2010, 05:23:09 PM » |
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Thanks, neutral--I like the idea of "medicalizing" it via a neurologist. Will try that tack, at least.
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macaroon
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« Reply #8 on: May 05, 2010, 09:56:50 PM » |
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Second getting an eval.
She could have an age-related dementia, Alzheimer's or organic brain syndrome. There are meds that can help.
Specialist who deal with geriatric patients are in order- neurologist, psychiatrist, etc.
Chime on this. Weird things can happen as people get older, and it helps to be seeing a clinician that has experience with geriatric patients. Did you know, for example, that in elderly people, urinary tract infections can cause profound behavioral changes? |
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compdoc
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« Reply #9 on: June 04, 2010, 09:22:15 PM » |
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My mother has been diagnosed as medically-induced bipolar. She was fine and then suddenly she was violent, spending money like it was Christmas and she was buying for all the orphans in the world, and was totally irrational.
The only reason she got help was that she attacked some policemen. Thankfully they weren't hurt and the four weeks of court required institutionalization allowed her to be put on enough medicines to calm her down, though just barely.
Unfortunately it took over two years of her being drugged almost into being comatose before the doctors were able to find medicines that worked for her.
So, I have been there.
I do know that there are other things that can cause mental changes. I think potentially medicalizing the subject is a good idea. I would want to give the doctor a heads up before she went in though. And you will probably want to document it fairly well. At its beginning stages, it wasn't clear to non-family that there was an issue.
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