What Causes Listlessness?

Posted on Thu, 3 Jul 2014

Question: my dad is 84 and listless…no get up and go. he needs help. Psychiatry?

Answered by Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Your father needs urgent medical attention...

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to Healthcare Magic. Thanks for your query.

I understand that you are concerned about your father who is not well. The symptoms that you ahve described such as being listless and not being active could be seen in psychiatric conditions like depression, but there are other medical conditions which can also cause such symptoms.

So, your father needs to have a physical examination and if necessary, a few tests, in order to determine what is the exact cause of his problems. So, I would suggest that you take him to a hospital as early as possible for a detailed evaluation and further treatment.

Best wishes,
Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar MBBS., DPM., MRCPsych.(U.K.)
Consultant Psychiatrist

Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar