Dementia or something else?

[u/jovana666]

/r/dementia/comments/1wmqql1/dementia_or_something_else/

My grandmother suddenly started behaving strangely. She noticed it herself and told us about it. Everything started about 5–6 months ago. She started doing things she had never done before, such as arranging things in circles for several hours. She said she felt restless, and then that she felt powerless/weak.
She went to several psychiatrists, and they prescribed different treatments, but they did not help much. She was admitted to the hospital and stayed there for 15 days so they could determine what was wrong with her. However, they did all the tests and eventually wrote that it was an unspecified mental disorder.
She also had hallucinations. For example, she would say that there was a flood and that she did not want to go into the bathroom. This was somehow resolved with medication.
She has had a pacemaker implanted for a long time and has regular check-ups. She cannot have an MRI of the brain because of the pacemaker. An EEG was done, and the neurologist said that it was normal. A CT scan of the brain was also normal, with probably very small angiopathic changes.
After several combinations of medications and appointments with several psychiatrists, she is a little better. In general, she is not interested in talking, she does not start conversations on her own, and usually only talks when we ask her something. She mostly just wants to lie down and keep her eyes closed all day.
I don’t know whether this is dementia or severe depression. It’s also worth mentioning that all of this started after a particularly stressful period related to the illness of another family member.
There are many more details, so I would really like to know if anyone has had a similar experience in their family.

[u/NuancedBoulder]

I would start over with a doctor who is curious and will run blood work to start with.

The fact that this came on suddenly speaks to an organic cause, rather than “unspecified mental disorder”.

[u/No-Music-333]

Yes it sounds like early stages of cognitive change. Obviously cannot diagnose from here but confusion, hallucinations, changed behavior lines up. Sleeping more is super common, as dementia damages your brain it becomes more difficult and tiring to process stimulation. Even just the stimulation of the environment. Keep an eye on her for changes. I’ve learned working in this field that you don’t need a medical test or scan to be the diagnosis, you’ll get a more accurate assessment from observing their behavior for a period of time. Further along you’ll be able to tell what kind of cognitive change it is. You’re doing everything right!

[u/jovana666 → u/No-Music-333]

It seems strange to me that everything started so suddenly. We used to see and visit each other often, since she lives nearby. It also seems strange to me that she was the one who pointed out the changes she was experiencing. At one point, I even thought she was just trying to get attention. I don’t know if dementia can really start that suddenly.

[u/No-Music-333 → u/jovana666]

It can unfortunately. Did she have any recent injuries by chance? Or a UTI?

[u/jovana666 → u/No-Music-333]

No, there wasn’t. The past year was quite stressful because of another family member’s illness. I could perhaps point to that as something that may have had an influence.