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Mental Health (Expert Forum)
Mental shifts in dialysis patient - looks like paranoid pd
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD) , bipolar disorder , dementia , electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) , learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) , panic , personality disorders, phobias , post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , schizophrenia , stress , transitions, and work problems.
Mental shifts in dialysis patient - looks like paranoid pd
by janet, Mar 27, 2000 12:00AM
My brother recently started dialysis. He has always displayed symptoms of what one might refer to as an Antisocial personality but since his toxins have gotten high and he started dialysis, he's been threatening people, he has become very paranoid thinking people are watching him, talking about him, trying to break into his condo or have broken in looking for "evidence to use against him". Lately, these delusions and threats involve me and my husband and this is very frightening. I tried to tell his social worker and she doesn't seem to believe me. In the meantime, I am worried he's going to respond to his perceived ideas and hurt us or someone else. IS there any link between dialysis and significant mental shifts such as this. And how should we respond to his constant accusations that we are breaking into his condo or doing something to him? I would appreciate some advice. Thank you.
Doctor's Answer
by HFHS MD - RG, Mar 28, 2000 12:00AM
Mental changes can be influenced by metabolic disturbances.
Since you know your brother's baseline personality, you may discuss these changes with his attending physician and request for a psychiatric consult to determine if the metabolic changes are affecting your brother's mental state or not.
It would be futile to respond to someone suffering from an untreated mental changes. Your persistence to seek a psychiatric consult would be most beneficial.
Since you know your brother's baseline personality, you may discuss these changes with his attending physician and request for a psychiatric consult to determine if the metabolic changes are affecting your brother's mental state or not.
It would be futile to respond to someone suffering from an untreated mental changes. Your persistence to seek a psychiatric consult would be most beneficial.
