mother changes personality

[vienna73]

Can depression change someone's personality? I can't recognise my mother and I don't know what to do and how to take it. She is now 63 years old and she was diagnosed with a depression about to 10 years ago. She was extremly down at the time, used to cry a lot and it was clear that hse was very unhappy wiith her life. She started on a medication and things were more or less stable till 5 years ago when her own mother died. From that moment things had a change and depression moved into a more histerical/ hectic sort of thing. She started showing signs of great irratability and  did strange things like arguing with people she would have never argued before with from shop assistants to the family members. She not only got divorced from my father ,as she decided to cut relations with a few family members and close friends. She also started acting as if  everybody were against her and claimed that people wanted to "take advantage " of her. she used to be a very quiet and rational person, so this atitute is very strange in her. Another thing that I notice  was  that she started writting with spelling mistakes, which she never did before as she is an High school  teacher for 40 years of her life and therefore used to write well. Another change were her moods. Sometimes she invests quiet a few of her retairment pension in  realtily big projects like house renovation, but  at the same time she claims she has no money and  gets quiet frightened by it and as "saving drives", saving money in everything she can.  I can't recognise her and I don't know how to take it. To my undertanding a depression can make someone sad and bring this person down, but can it also change the personalty of somoene in the way I described? Can it be caused by another desease? Will she ever become normal again?

[vienna73]

Thanks! Yes, it could be something else...I'm not very familiar with the syntomes of mania or bi-polar disorder. I always thought those were very severe  deseases and I guess that's why I never consider that possibility. After all my mother is still "functioning". I mean, while I reckon that she is acting in a very weird way,  she is taking care of herself and goes on with her life... Now you made me think that I might have been looking to things in a very narrow way...It's also a bit scary, because before her last mood swing I had  left my 3 yrs old child with her for a weekend while ago. Now I am wodering if this was wise thing to do. I guess not! I'll try to get in touch with her psychiatrist, but I wonder if she will give me his name...next chalenge!...

[ILADVOCATE]

Firstly speak to the psychiatrist about the new symptoms. Sometimes an anti-depressent can worsen mania in a person with bipolar and if bipolar is diagnosed a full mood stabilizer is generally needed. Secondly some of the symptoms sound psychotic. Those can be treated with an antipsychotic within a psychiatrist's judgement. Speak to them about this as well. Also since she is elderly have a neurologist rule out dementia which in some ways can mimic aspects of psychosis. Regardless update her psychiatrist and ask for a referral to a neurologist.