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Suggest Treatment For Obsessive Thoughts In An Elderly Person
Question: Not a health issue but rather a request re geriatric psychiatry. Gentleman living in Nanoose has community health care workers visit, however, he is becoming more and more agitated. This man is currently obsessed with mail in lotteries. He has a daughter in Calgary who has power of attorney and is wanting to know what is the next step to help her father. His driver's license was suspended but has been driving and has been warned by RCMP....any help you can offer much appreciated.
Brief Answer:
form of dementia
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thanks for your question. There is a form of dementia called frontotemporal dementia that often causes obsessive thoughts or compulsions. A good evaluation by a geriatric psychiatrist may help confirm this diagnosis. It is important for other treatable types of conditions such as B12 deficiency or hypothyroidism to be ruled out because if he did have one of those it is treatable. One thing that is very important for the daughter to do is get rid of his car. You really don't want to end up with a situation where he gets hurt or hurts someone else because he is driving when it is not safe. There are some medications that psychiatrists can prescribe to help with the agitation, but there is no real cure or treatment for this type of dementia, if that is what he has. Like other forms of dementia it is progressive. At some point he may not be safe to live at home alone so exploring the option of nursing homes may be necessary.
I hope you get some assistance soon
Regards,
Dr. Robinson
form of dementia
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thanks for your question. There is a form of dementia called frontotemporal dementia that often causes obsessive thoughts or compulsions. A good evaluation by a geriatric psychiatrist may help confirm this diagnosis. It is important for other treatable types of conditions such as B12 deficiency or hypothyroidism to be ruled out because if he did have one of those it is treatable. One thing that is very important for the daughter to do is get rid of his car. You really don't want to end up with a situation where he gets hurt or hurts someone else because he is driving when it is not safe. There are some medications that psychiatrists can prescribe to help with the agitation, but there is no real cure or treatment for this type of dementia, if that is what he has. Like other forms of dementia it is progressive. At some point he may not be safe to live at home alone so exploring the option of nursing homes may be necessary.
I hope you get some assistance soon
Regards,
Dr. Robinson
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
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