Posted by SickGuy on July 17, 2000, at 1:16:34
Hi,I have a complex condition that involves severe
depression, very impaired short term memory,
severely declining cognitive abilities (IQ), and
extreme agitation and emotional lability. I can and do get rid of the
depression by taking a heavy dose of an antidepressant to
the point that I am no longer suicidal, but it does
almost nothing for the cognition or agitation. I am
experiencing personality change and personality
problems. If I were to diagnose i would say I have
Organic Personality disorder.I believe that I may have some form of brain damage
due to a combination of substance abuse and chronic
stress.This has more or less destroyed my life because
it has changed the core of who I am (my intelligence
was always the core of my being), and personality
changes such as explosiveness, and this has destroyed
my ability to have relationships and to continue in
my field of work.I have been seeing a neuropsychologist in San Francisco who is
supposed to be well regarded (I pay cash for the
privilege) but I am now very unhappy with him because
he seems not very interested in dealing with my case
and is not as knowlegable as I was led to believe.He has not proposed brain scans or blood work and I
think that my condition is far beyond normal
depression. I have been seeing him for a year and he
just doesn't seem to understand the urgency of my
situation.I want to investigate every possible avenue
available and money is really no object. I just don't
know who I should see.I have read some studies by neurologists who have
studied hippocampal size in depressives and alcoholics
and have considered emailing them for a reference
just because they spend all day studying the brain.I don't know if simply seeing a defect in an MRI or
CAT or SPECT will tell them what to do about it.I have heard about a Dr. Amen (amenclinic.com) but
some people seem to regard him as a huckster so
I'm not sure if I should go to him or not.Anyway, the whole intake process for any of these docs
is very expensive so I want to get it right this
time. Can you propose a good neuropsych for me?
Anywhere in the bay area is fine. Hell, I'd even fly
in if the work could be done in a compressed period.My need is that the guy is so well informed that he
doesn't leave any stone unturned. My present
neuropsych doesn't even know what Ginkgo Biloba
is. Jeez.I know from talking to my present doctor who admistered
some oral tests to me that if I have any dementia it
is "mild" in comparison with the car crash cases he
sees daily. My point is that this does not make it
any less devistating. Estimated loss of 15 IQ points,
plus out of control emotions, plus a poor memory that
makes my recent life story and sense of self to be
sketchy, plus a low libido and withdrawn feeling that
ruins my interactions with people is a severe problem
to me, even if it is diagnostically "mild".
poster:SickGuy
thread:40693
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000708/msgs/40693.html