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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Severe Depression, Chronic Crying, Intense Fear About Everything After Living Away From Closed One. Solution?

hi doc , my mom is having a severe case of depression . doctors have told that it is severe depression and it will take time to get to normal . they are trying different medicines and nothing works i guess since she has not shown any improvment .initaillly when this started amonth ago all days were bad for her like she had chronic crying and stuff . nowadays it comes on and off like one day she is little bette r and the other day she is restless and she tries to get out of the house saying that she does nt want to stay there. sometimes she holds her head and shouts and she says something is going on in her brain . I also want to mention that she is already a psychiatric patient and on medication like chlroroopmine , tegeretol ,larap for 25yrs and she needs to take medication to sleep at night and it worked all these yrs for her . but suddenly last month she had this severe problems like not able to go to sleep, crying and sadness and want to die , no interest in anything , fear about everything like she even doesn t want to talk to anyone. she describes it as iam confused, i have fear and i am not able to do any household work. this spell of depression started after i came to usa ilve in usa and i went to india 3 months ago since my dad had a cardiac failure and he had his cabg done so i helped them throughout this process and she is bascically very attached to me and when the day i flew back to usa she had these problems . we dont know what caused this such a severe problems and we have never seen my mom like this she does nt want to talk to me on phone somedays she says i can t talk which is defenitely not my mom who used to be 4 months back. What is the solution for this doc. Thank you vanitha
Thu, 3 Jan 2013
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Psychiatrist 's  Response
Hello and welcome to Healthcare Magic,

I'm sorry to hear that your mother is going through a difficult time due to her psychiatric problems. It is indeed very to see a loved one go through intense suffering. Now, the current symptoms which you have described are indicative of a severe depression with psychotic features. It is likely that since her depression is severe and she also has psychotic symptoms, she may be taking longer than usual to respond to medication. But don't worry, there are different alternative treatment options available and with a little more time her symptoms should get controlled. In certain severe cases, when there is no adequate response to medication, ECT (electro-convulsive therapy) can also be an effective option. So, I would advise you to be patient and discuss further treatment options with her psychiatrist.

Best wishes,
Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar
Consultant Psychiatrist
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Psychiatrist Dr. Srikanth Reddy's  Response
Hello Vanitha,
I understand your concerns for your mother. Believe me living with people with mental illness is not easy and requires tremendous commitment and patience. From the lengthy description you have given about your mother, it is quite obvious that she is already having a chronic psychotic disorder and now she has landed up with a new problem of depression with suicidal ideas. Drugs are not able to improve her status. In that case 5-6 ECT therapies will surely help in reducing aggression, removing suicidal thoughts and also improve depression. One thing is certain that she would be well off in an indoor setting and you should soon visit her psychiatrist for indoor care as she has a high risk of suicide.
Hope I am able to solve your concerns.
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Psychiatrist Dr. Sundar Gnanavel's  Response
Hello..
Thanks for your query. I can understand your concern with your mother's mental health. The treatment record indicates a diagnosis of either bipolar depression or severe depression with psychotic symptoms. Though a bit difficult to treat, it is imminently treatable. We have a wide array of anti-depressants, anti-psychotics like quetiapine with antidepressant properties, psychotherapy (eg cognitive behavioural therapy and ECT/electroconvulsive therapy. Moreover, the very fact that the frequency of symptoms have come down indicates that she is improving. Wish her speedy recovery.
Regards
Dr Sundar Gnanavel
Psychiatrist
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Severe Depression, Chronic Crying, Intense Fear About Everything After Living Away From Closed One. Solution?

Hello and welcome to Healthcare Magic, I m sorry to hear that your mother is going through a difficult time due to her psychiatric problems. It is indeed very to see a loved one go through intense suffering. Now, the current symptoms which you have described are indicative of a severe depression with psychotic features. It is likely that since her depression is severe and she also has psychotic symptoms, she may be taking longer than usual to respond to medication. But don t worry, there are different alternative treatment options available and with a little more time her symptoms should get controlled. In certain severe cases, when there is no adequate response to medication, ECT (electro-convulsive therapy) can also be an effective option. So, I would advise you to be patient and discuss further treatment options with her psychiatrist. Best wishes, Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar Consultant Psychiatrist