dementia?

[lkaegi8]

My father is 91 and lately is behavior is wacky.  He is very argumentative, he is making up things that he believes are true and he is starting a lot of trouble with my son's girlfriend.  He goes to her place of business and harasses everybody at the store.  He thinks she is cheating him on him with a woman, a man, all crazy thoughts.  He is spending money recklessly and I cann't get anywhere with this doctor.  He put him on depression meds and suggest he get a neuro exam.  He will not go to this doctor and is getting very mean and nasty, its almost impossible to give with him anymore (he lives with me).  Does this sound like demential and what can I do for him?  Any suggestions or help would be appreciated.

[whodunnit]

Agree with Iladvo,

It is tempting to write down behaviour for older people as dementia. It could be anything really and the facts given here are that he has seen a doc who has given advice. Follow that advice, if possible. If he won't follow the doc's advice there isn't much you can do without getting very personal and create enormous problems.

Can you go to the doc with him and ask for clarity and get a referral.? Maybe?

To me he sounds like someone jkust lost, with nothing to do and seeing nothing in his future and just feels left out and tries to get involved in his own strange way. At 91, he has earnt some leeway but not the freedom to abuse.

[ILADVOCATE]

That's complex. It depends when it first started. Dementia is very clinically specific and only a neurologist could distinguish between that and psychosis though dementia usually involves forgetfulness and memory loss. I do know that elderly relatives I have that were diagnosed with dementia improved with the medication Namenda. One issue the psychiatrist should look into is whether this behavior worsened when he was started on an anti-depressent because anti-depressents can worsen mania in a person with bipolar and what is generally used is a full mood stabilizer. At that age whenever there are any mental changes it would make sense for a person to see a neurologist but the psychiatrist should also rule out other psychiatric disabilities because some of what is described sounds like the impulsiveness, poor judgment, and agitation of mania although only a psychiatrist would be able to provide a conclusive diagnosis.