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Professor commits suicide after catching dementia from tick bite 18.09.06 Add your view
Brain disease: Alasdair Crockett killed himself One of the country's top experts on modern life may have killed himself after catching a rare brain disease from a tiny insect bite.
University professor Alasdair Crockett was found dead in woods near his home on Saturday 48 hours after he was reported missing.
His distraught widow has told police the the leading academic was suffering from anxiety after he was bitten by a wood tick that carries the potentially-deadly Lyne Disease.
The illness can usually be treated and cleared up with anti-biotics but in extremely rare cases if it is not caught and treated early it attacks the nervous system leading to dementia.
The land, air and sea search for Dr Crockett, 38, was called off when police officers combing countryside around the family's home in Brightlingsea, Essex found a body in creekside woods a mile away.
A former research fellow at Nuffield College Dr Crockett took up a senior part-time post last year with a prestigious think tank that monitors life in modern Britain.
As one of the chief officers with the Institute for Social and Economic Research Dr Crockett and his colleagues based at Essex University collect data on people's changing lives.
Their findings are considered so important they are often used in determining government policy.
Cambridge-educated Dr Crockett, who held a Masters Philosophy degree, specialised in the sociology of religion and 19th century economic history.
But his life changed as he was forced to come to terms with the more serious long-term effects of Lyme Disease, an illness initially caused by an insect bite and often picked up by walkers and ramblers.
If treatment is not given early enough the disease can lead to severe mental illness such as schizophrenia.
A spokesman for Essex police said that Dr Crockett had been exhibiting symptoms of extreme anxiety which is among the effects of the disease in its advanced stages.
On Saturday after a widespread search involving a police helicopter, divers and searchers on the ground, Dr Crockett's body matching his description was found in Thicks Wood a 15-minute walk from near the family's home in the popular yachting village.
The hunt for the missing professor had involved a sweep of countryside around the town and divers were preparing to explore rivers and sandpits in the area.
A description of Dr Crockett - 6ft tall, slim with collar-length dark hair and wearing rectangular glasses - was also circulated to ports and airports.
But police said when he vanished he had taken nothing with him, such as his wallet, and was wearing only a T-shirt, trousers and shoes.
Mrs Crockett and the couple's two young children are currently being comforted by family and friends.
A family liaison officer said: "Understandably Mrs Crockett is devastated by the news and totally distraught, as are his family and close friends.
"She has asked that people respect her privacy as she comes to terms with the death of her husband."
An inquest will be held but a police spokesman said yesterday that foul play was not suspected and they were not looking for anyone else in connection with Dr Crockett's death.
Lyme Disease is caused by a single bite of a spider-like wood tick found in forests and on moorland all over the country, often where there are deer.
The initial symptoms of a rash, drowsiness and muscle pains can normally be treated successfully with anti-biotics.
But in extremely rare cases it can develop and become a chronic illness which slowly destroys the nervous system. It leads to loss of hearing, numbness and can eventually cause serious mental health problems such as schizophrenia
Posts: 4 | From USA | Registered: Sep 2006
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posted
Thank you for posting this article. (For those of you who are interested in the source: http://tinyurl.com/nqtvq)
This is so tragic, especially since he had such an incredibly brilliant mind and probably could have helped find answers to many of our Lyme problems. He must have felt that there was no other way out of his nightmare.
My heart goes out to his wife and children.
Posts: 220 | From central TX | Registered: Jun 2005
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
My heart goes out to his widow and 2 YOUNG children! How devistating. I completely agree with your statements what his mind might have done for our lyme community.
Thanks for posting this. Somewhere there is a link and might try search for LYME OBITUARIES, and copy/paste this post there. Bettyg
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northstar
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7911
posted
It is overwhelming that a bite from a bug can lead to such personal devastation for someone. Perhaps the awareness of neurocognitive degeneration in such a brilliant mind, and feelings of loss and hopelessness, combined with biochemical depression, led to his suicide. One wonders whether there was appropriate medical treatment for the infection and its consequences.
The physical and mental decline leading to, and including the unexpected loss of a spouse/parent is a shock and I offer my prayers to his family.
I also think that this reporter and newspaper continue to display total blasting journalistic non-integrity, lack of common sense, and scientific ignorance of borrelia infections. The Headline reads: "Professor commits suicide after catching dementia from tick bite". Since when does one "catch" dementia........? One catches a cold, or the flu.....like in an airborne disease. One does not "catch" dementia, nor does one "catch" borreliosis. Totally medieval.
Again, my prayers to the family.
Northstar
Posts: 1331 | From hither and yonder | Registered: Sep 2005
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posted
How sad but I can just imagine how he felt. I "Caught Dementia" for sure.
I can no longer read for pleasure and had to turn over all my financial stuff to someone with a more functioning brain in 2000.
I have lost at least half of my intelect and for someone who uses their brain to make a living the fear of not being able to reason was apparently just too much for him to imagine living with.
Ive come to terms with it but have to admit I had many a day where I wondered if it would be better to just end it all now but I never took the next step, too tired & stupid to figure out how to do it. That last statement is my obtuse humor which is my most important coping tool. I could cry or laugh but laughing is my road.
Posts: 561 | From connecticut | Registered: May 2004
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MagicAcorn
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8786
posted
My little boy had an operation (twice) to save the hearing in his left ear. This is the first time I saw a correlation between the two in the papers.
The British write differently so I wouldn't get to upset over the wording. I caught lyme disease which causes a host of problems, so in a way I also caught arthritis, mood swings and a host of other problems.
Anyway, Lyme Disease may not present the same way in England. After my trip to Ireland I suffered a terrible relapse with totally different symptoms from previously.
I've often wondered if I got reinfected as I did quite a bit of exploring in old castles/cemeteries with lots of brush around.
My heart goes out to that family.
-------------------- Posts: 1279 | From In hiding | Registered: Feb 2006
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dontlikeliver
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4749
posted
In this case, there is no different meaning in the writing than if it was written in America. The meaning and the way it'll be perceived (Lyme disease is mainly a psychological illness) will be the same.
Lyme disease sufferers in Britain have the same symptoms and problems that are suffered in the US (and Ireland and Europe) although there is more frequently a neurological (rather than joint) symptoms picture.
DLL
Posts: 2824 | From The Back of Beyond | Registered: Oct 2003
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Truthfinder
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8512
posted
I swear, there is no journalistic integrity these days, even in the U.K.
The headline states that this was a suicide even though the first line indicates they don't know for sure yet if it was a suicide!
And no mention is made about what he died from - exposure, gunshot wound, overdose?
And, yes, Northstar, the peculiar wording in the headline is very unfortunate.
But I guess we have to appreciate the fact that this article does point out some of the lesser-known mental aspects of chronic Lyme, and especially in a country that claims Lyme is rare and not much of a problem.
So from that aspect, this article still has a great deal of value.
Tracy
-------------------- Tracy .... Prayers for the Lyme Community - every day at 6 p.m. Pacific Time and 9 p.m. Eastern Time � just take a few moments to say a prayer wherever you are�. Posts: 2966 | From Colorado | Registered: Dec 2005
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dontlikeliver
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4749
Another article
Posts: 2824 | From The Back of Beyond | Registered: Oct 2003
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dontlikeliver
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4749
posted
I am sure that it can be appreciated that many people in the UK with Lyme disease are told, as many people in the US when they suspect they have Lyme disease, that they have 'just anxiety', are 'just depressed' etc etc especially because there is even less, MUCH less, media attention or general awareness about Lyme disease in the UK (which is another reason it is perceived as rare).....personally, I feel that focussing on anxiety in the article(as in ALL Lyme patients have it and from what's been written so far as if anxiety is THE major symptom) reinforces that misinformed view that we are 'just a bunch of anxious nuts' such as what Eugene Shapiro at Yale seems to think. It is already near impossible on the NHS (UK National Health Service) to get treatment for Lyme disease (antibiotics), and I think that with articles written this way, more and more people with Lyme will be 'sold' anti-anxiety meds instead.
Unfortunately, those 'experts' on Lyme in the UK are also under Shapiro's spell.
DLL
Posts: 2824 | From The Back of Beyond | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
This is a devastating story. This guy was a member of EuroLyme, he was very intelligent and knew ALOT about Lyme. He was a patient of both the LLMD's in the U.K, but he did not live near either of them. In the newspaper it said he took an overdose of his medication and he did leave a letter to his family explaining why, etc.
This has really upset me...
R.I.P
Posts: 263 | From UK | Registered: Mar 2006
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posted
Under Shapiro's spell? And did you know Shapiro actually went to a conference in England recently to share his "insights" about lyme disease diagnosis and treatment? He was apparently invited by officials who ran this conference almost in secret, certainly without any input from patients, and are dedicated to the usual imbecile views of lyme.
But Shapiro has never seen a chronic lyme case he says. I believe it. This is a man who apparently wears a blindfold all the time, to avoid seeing what he does not want to see.
Why pick on Shapiro to blame, though, when we have the National Health Service in the UK, the CDC and NIH in the U.S., along with most of the big name medical institutions. So, not only did this unfortunate professor have a nervous system infection that caused brain problems, he was up against the combined forces of medical bureaucrats using taxpayer money to destroy lives with their ignorance. This is a lot to cope with.
Posts: 8430 | From Not available | Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
while his tick-borne infections could certainly induce a suicide,i wonder how much, if anything,and if he were taking them, did certain class(-es) of psychiatric drugs preciptitate this?
Posts: 2708 | Registered: Feb 2005
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I am so shocked and saddened by this story of Alasdair's death.
I spent yesterday trying to figure out if there was going to be some kind of cover-up by the British media regarding the cause of his death. (Lyme paranoia on my part or rational possibility?)
Although the facts are not correct in every detail ('extremely rare cases', yeah okay) at least there is a recognition of the devastating effects Lyme Disease.
It would have been a double heart break for me if the papers had declared Alasdair to be suffering from an 'anxiety disorder' and let the story slip into oblivion.
This has been a sad couple of days for the International Lyme Community. Our brothers & sisters on Eurolyme are devasted by the loss of Alasdair.
My thoughts are with Alasdair and his family. I hope they can feel the thoughts of love reaching out to them from around the world...
[ 18. September 2006, 12:17 PM: Message edited by: lymelass ]
Posts: 15 | From USA | Registered: Jul 2006
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Melanie Reber
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 3707
posted
This is really scary to those of us facing this disease. I have had neuro lyme for over 3 years (treated for almost one year now) but how do I know if I could progress to the point of this doctor? Do people usually progress to this point quickly or is it over years? I wish I knew...what is your experience?
Posts: 90 | From massachusetts | Registered: Aug 2006
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
Be sure to go to DLL's post of another article. We can SEND FEEDBACK; 6 letters there until I just added mine. I maxed out the limit of course so I removed extra spaces between the sentences to get this much in there.
I'll break it up for this board since we don't have a limit here!
My heartfelt sympathies to Dr. Crockett's family to our devastating CHRONIC LYME disease!
I've had chronic lyme for 36 years; 34 years MISDIAGNOSED with fibromyalgia pain, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel/bladder plus!I was on long-term antibiotics for 20 months until I improved.
I chose IGENEX, California, to send my western blot IGM/IGG blood samples for lyme testing; they showed all my positives of 16 bands tested for.
It met USA's Center for Disease Control's requirements; so I'm now a statistic for 2004.
MDs NEED TO TEST FOR LYME!
Yes, ALL COUNTRIES need to recognize and treat chronic lyme for long-term antibiotics.
In the USA, some state health depts. are filing charges against our LYME LITERATE MDs trying to take away their medical licenses due to long-term abx.
Bigger yet is this issue:
Chronic lyme patients should NOT donate blood, tissue, organs, or bone marrow to anyone!! We would NOT wish this devasting disease effecting our brains, heart, lungs, & kidneys to our worst ENEMY . Bettyg
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lymemomtooo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5396
posted
I am also saddened by Dr.Crockett's death..When will this end?
It is most likely more difficult than even what some US patients go thru, because they have socialized medicine..We have many friends in Wales and it is tragic what some of them have gone thru, if they could not afford to get a private Dr.
If it were not for the will of God, the same outcome would have happened here..We have been fortunate to have our daughter survive 15 serious attempts..
Lyme and co-infections can cause major damage to the brain and in my daughter's case to the areas that are most important for thought and reasoning.
This must stop!!
Posts: 2360 | From SE PA | Registered: Mar 2004
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Widow of Lyme disease victim appeals for help BRIAN DONNELLY September 19 2006
THE grieving widow of a leading academic who killed himself while suffering from a brain disease caused by a tiny insect bite yesterday called for better screening and detection of the condition.
Frances Crockett, widow of university professor Alasdair Crockett, from Fraserburgh, made the call as she revealed she had also contracted Lyme disease, which attacks the brain and nervous system.
Dr Crockett was found dead in woods a mile from his home at the weekend after leaving a suicide letter and apparently swallowing an overdose of the medication he took to control the illness.
His death comes as cases of the disease have been increasing in Scotland. In 1994, there was just a single case of Lyme disease confirmed in Scotland. But by 2004 the figure had risen to 86 and last year it reached 96. Mrs Crockett said yesterday that her husband had suffered progressive symptoms of Lyme Disease.
She said at the family's home in Brightlingsea, Essex: "Wherever it came from it affected him increasingly and while he sought treatment I believe it was not diagnosed until it was too late."
A spokeswoman for Lyme Disease Action said that caught early the illness can usually be treated with antibiotics but in rare cases it attacks the nervous system and leads to mental health problems.
Cecylia Malenczak, of LDA, said: "If left untreated it can lead to an extensive range of symptoms including headaches, neuralgia, twitching, heart pain, fatigue, depression, psychoses and violent behaviour.
"Victims can be misdiagnosed as suffering from ME or glandular fever but if left untreated as in Alasdair's case it becomes chronic and can lead sufferers to think there is no future for them."
Dr Crockett, 38, vanished from his �200,000 detached four-bed home last Thursday and his anxious wife notified police immediately. The next day she received a letter posted by her husband in which he told her what he intended to do and where he could be found.
A search and rescue team supporting the police hunt found his body in woods on Saturday afternoon.
An inquest will be held but a spokesman for Essex police confirmed that officers were not looking for anyone else in connection with Dr Crockett's death.
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