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Hello, In December 2017 My Girlfriend Said That She's Started

Posted on Tue, 9 Oct 2018

Question: Hello, in December 2017 my girlfriend said that she's started getting this other personality. it got worse around March - XXXXXXX but seems to have settled down a little more now. It happens when she's anxious and she also gets a headache along with it. I ask her every day of she's had a headache that day, and hasn't had one since the start of August (her personality also changed on that day for about an hour). when she experiences this, she doesn't remember anything that's happened while she has this other personality, and showing her pictures of something personally emotional takes her out of that state and back to normal. She also experienced constant dizziness for about a month in July, but I think that might have been because she wasn't eating properly (im not sure). She only seems to get these headaches when she's anxious, as she also suffers from anxiety. Is this anything to be concerned about, I have health anxiety and this is probably nothing, she isn't concerned and won't go to the doctor about it so im not sure if it's just my anxiety causing this. If you have any further questions, please ask, and thank you for your time.

Answered by Dr. Dr.Dorina Gurabardhi (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Probably migraine,follow the advice below to confirm the diagnosis.

Detailed Answer:
Hello dear and welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service. I reviewed your query and here is my advice.

The symptoms of your girlfriend can be related to many medical conditions.
Some of the possible causes can be migraine or secondary headache.

Some of the examination needed to confirm the diagnosis are:
-a neurological examination
-a complete blood count
-an electroencephalogram
-a CT scan or a MRI of the brain

Meanwhile, you can use anti-inflammatory medications for the headache such as Ibuprofen 400 mg three times a day.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T

Follow up: Dr. Dr.Dorina Gurabardhi (23 minutes later)

Thank you for your answer, im unable to make her go to get checked as we are in a long distance relationship and she doesn't want to get looked at. Is there anything I can tell you to help the diagnosis? could this be DID?

Answered by Dr. Dr.Dorina Gurabardhi (32 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
DID is confirmed only if other diagnosis are excluded through examinations.

Detailed Answer:
Hi again dear,

The variety of diagnosis that cause the symptoms mentioned in the query is very large.The only way to do differential diagnosis is through examinations.

We can suspect about dissociative identity disorder (DID) only if other diagnosis such as headaches, seizures or brain masses are excluded through examinations.

So, I would strongly recommend a neurological examination and other examinations mentioned above.

If DID is confirmed psychotherapy is the preferred way of treatment .
It usually helps this patients to improve their relationships with others, preventing crises.

So, I would strongly recommend a neurological examination.

Hope it helps dear, take care.
Dr. Dorina Gurabardhi

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T

Follow up: Dr. Dr.Dorina Gurabardhi (19 hours later)

She says she will get checked when she goes to XXXXXXX in 2 months as it is cheaper there compared to dubai. I just wanted to ask, because it's been a about a year, and because it seems symptoms are better than they were a few months back. if this was more serious like a tumor, would the symptoms have gotten worse by now?

Answered by Dr. Dr.Dorina Gurabardhi (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
The fact that the symptoms haven't gotten worse is very positive.

Detailed Answer:
Hi again dear,
I can understand your concern.

Symptoms of brain tumors can actually vary according to the type of tumor and the location.

A headache most of the time isn't related to the brain tumor. The fact that the symptoms haven't aggravated in time is another positive factor.

Sometimes the symptoms of brain tumor develop very slowly.

However, to precisely confirm the diagnosis, detailed examinations are necessary.

Meanwhile, she may have painkillers such as Acetaminophen thrice daily after food to relieve the symptoms.

Hope it helps dear,
Best wishes

Take care,
Dr.Dorina Gurabardhi

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

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee