Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We have a family member, female age 50, that started hearing voices in July. She had to quit her long time professional finance job. She spends her days now listening to the voices and trying to analyze nonsense data. She has walked up to strangers and told them they should be ashamed of what they are doing to her. She can't be left alone, she doesn't think she is ill.
She has never had any history of mental health issues, she is physically healthy, has always worked in responsible positions and has even traveled overseas in her job. No history of any legal/illegal drug use. Alcohol limited to a glass of wine at holidays. No head injuries. No illnesses picked up when overseas.
This started right after a two week cold/cough. She took Nyquil so she could sleep.
So far, doctors can't find any reason and her next appointment with a psychiatrist is a month away. Most doctors think it is impossible for paranoid schizophrenia to have a sudden onset at this late age. Any ideas?
Has her apartment/home been checked for any contaminant? Mold? Chemicals? Could she have an infection causing dementia? Has she started taking any new herbal supplements?
My wife has had similar symptoms but she has RSD which is a very painful condition. She went years with little sleep. What I struggled the most with was her denial of any mental issues and would refuse all help to the point she burnt down bridges with several family members. She has improved however. The only thing I could justify for her paranoia is the timing of her acquiring the disease and the onset of menopause.
I have a female relative by marriage that was diagnosed with schizophrenia and paranoid delusions at about age 50. She was once a successful restauranteur and changed her focus to farming and food production with a comfortable organic operation. She was planning to orchestrate good food and nutrition education in community based institutions like the local schools. Something triggered several episodes of extreme paranoia and delusional assertions that none of us that were ever close to her can explain. She had a large network of farm labor and colleagues which sometimes put her in contact with some strange individuals. I questioned whether she was given some questionable drugs or herbs that could have caused the mental breakdown. I also wondered if some peri-menopausal hormone fluctuations could have triggered something.
Medical privacy laws prevented my husband and I from gaining any more information from her treatment staff, even though we kept in touch with her regularly. I know she was treated more than once with hospitalization and prescriptions , but here adherence to her treatment regimen is scary at best.
So, yes, I don't know how common it is, but late onset mental illness does happen.
I worked as a pysch nurse for 6 years, but also have had first hand experience with my son (aged 25) being diagnosed as bi-polar 1, 2 years ago. He had no sleep for 10 days, and was hearing voices, and was paranoid. It resulted in an in patient stay for 2 weeks, and that's when they diagnosed him. I thought when he first started showing signs that it was schizophrenia. They did a CAT scan and blood work etc. I do tend to agree that she should have a neurological work up and if clear they will do a pysch eval.
OP, your post got me interested in investigating this subject again and I found this and other articles that indicate menopause as a trigger for some mental illnesses. Your relative will need a complete health work up to rule out other factors of course. Menopause and Schizophrenia - Write Health
Has her apartment/home been checked for any contaminant? Mold? Chemicals? Could she have an infection causing dementia? Has she started taking any new herbal supplements?
I have a female relative by marriage that was diagnosed with schizophrenia and paranoid delusions at about age 50. She was once a successful restauranteur and changed her focus to farming and food production with a comfortable organic operation. She was planning to orchestrate good food and nutrition education in community based institutions like the local schools. Something triggered several episodes of extreme paranoia and delusional assertions that none of us that were ever close to her can explain. She had a large network of farm labor and colleagues which sometimes put her in contact with some strange individuals. I questioned whether she was given some questionable drugs or herbs that could have caused the mental breakdown. I also wondered if some peri-menopausal hormone fluctuations could have triggered something.
Medical privacy laws prevented my husband and I from gaining any more information from her treatment staff, even though we kept in touch with her regularly. I know she was treated more than once with hospitalization and prescriptions , but here adherence to her treatment regimen is scary at best.
So, yes, I don't know how common it is, but late onset mental illness does happen.
That sounds about the same "employment" level that she is, a successful businesswoman. It's just the last thing you expect from someone who has had decades of success at work.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
