I am asking for advice on where to go to a specialist with my 60-year-old mother. My mother, who has been active and fit all her life (including mentally), has been acting strangely for some time.
She does not want to leave the house, she covers the windows, claims to be watched and overheard. At first, I thought it was a joke and downplayed the problem. Unfortunately, it lasts all the time and I am afraid that this is the beginning of some dangerous disease. But what?
The described behavior of your mother may indicate that she experiences persecutory delusions. It is necessary to consult a psychiatrist who will assess the mental state of the mother and determine whether delusions are the only psychopathological symptom occurring in her. It is also important to know how long mom says morbid content and how well developed the delusional system is.
The functioning of the patient outside the delusional sphere may be correct if we are dealing with delusional disorders. Delusions are pathological beliefs expressed that are believed by the patient to be true.
Delusional disorders can also occur in the course of damage to the central nervous system, drug abuse, epilepsy.
People with such personality traits as suspicion, distrust, authoritarianism, and compensatory increased self-esteem are particularly predisposed to the occurrence of delusional disorders. It is extremely difficult to convince the patient to treatment because he is distrustful, suspicious and has no sense of illness.
The treatment uses antipsychotics that can eliminate delusions completely or significantly reduce their frequency and severity.
Read also: The poor and the lonely – mentally ill in Poland
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