stymielymie
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Member # 10044
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Lyme Disease and Violence: No Link Experts Say Lyme Disease Can't Lead to Violence or Psychosis By Daniel J. DeNoon WebMD Health News Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
March 10, 2009 -- Lyme disease can't make a person violent or psychotic, infectious disease specialists tell WebMD.
According to media reports, the family and lawyer of a man accused of the murder of an Illinois pastor blame the man's deteriorating mental health on longstanding Lyme disease.
The experts who spoke with WebMD have not reviewed the man's medical records and are familiar with the case only through media reports. But speaking in general terms, the experts reject the idea that violent behavior can be blamed on Lyme disease.
"I don't know of any convincing evidence that Lyme disease can cause violence or psychosis," Gary Wormser, MD, tells WebMD. Wormser is director of the Lyme Disease Center and chief of infectious diseases at New York Medical College in Valhalla, N.Y.
"We can be clear Lyme disease does not lead to psychotic and violent behaviors," William Schaffner, MD, tells WebMD. Schaffner is president-elect of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and chair of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.
In an August 2008 article -- written before the alleged attack by Terry J. Sedlacek -- the St. Louis Post-Dispatch chronicled the man's decade-long mental health problems. The article suggested his symptoms were due to Lyme disease.
But such "chronic" Lyme disease is "not a sound diagnosis" for anyone, Schaffner says. Untreated Lyme disease certainly can go on for a very long time. And Lyme disease damage doesn't necessarily go away with treatment. But Schaffner says there is little evidence that prolonged antibiotic therapy -- or other radical, unproven treatments -- benefits patients.
"The history I've gleaned from the news reports suggests this man was being treated for supposed chronic Lyme disease, a diagnosis that needs to be looked at with great skepticism," Schaffner says. "If this was a misfocused attention on Lyme disease, his real underlying problem was not given attention and therapy. Because Lyme disease, in whatever manifestation, does not lead to violent and psychotic behavior."
Wormser has actually looked for Lyme disease in Missouri, near the Illinois border where the man was supposed to have contracted the disease.
"In that part of Illinois, that this person lived in, it would be almost unheard of to have true Lyme disease," he says. "But so many people get misdiagnosed because of doctors sending samples to labs that give unreliable results. I would not be surprised if this individual were misdiagnosed."
But even if the man did have Lyme disease, the evidence suggests it could not have been responsible for his recent behavior.
Wormser actually tested psychiatric inpatients in his area, which is in the heart of the U.S. region most affected by Lyme disease. Patients suffering psychiatric illnesses were no more likely to have present or past Lyme disease than other area residents.
That's not to say that Lyme disease can't affect the brain. It can.
"Like most manifestations of this disease, neurological symptoms are hard to recognize and manage," Schaffner says. "You can have an encephalitis picture that almost always occurs with damage to one of the nerves to the face. This causes paralysis of part of the face. These are part of the later manifestations of Lyme disease."
"There is no question that Lyme disease has neurological manifestations," Wormser says. "But frank psychosis to the point of killing someone would be really far fetched. It is really clear they are dealing with a situation that probably wasn't Lyme disease to begin with." Posts: 1820 | From Boone and Southport, NC | Registered: Sep 2006
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Lymeorsomething
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 16359
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Well, syphilis has long been implicated in such manifestations....
posted
"In that part of Illinois, that this person lived in, it would be almost unheard of to have true Lyme disease," he says.
Beautiful.
" ... true Lyme disease"
There's just enough truth in there to let you see how manipulative and slimy he is. Technically, he may be right. So it's not Bb -- but it is B-something (possibly Masters). He knows that, and knows that no journalist is going to do the necessary digging to find this out. ****head.
Posts: 845 | From Eastern USA | Registered: Jul 2006
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METALLlC BLUE
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6628
posted
That article and the specialists involved are not correct.
-------------------- I am not a physician, so do your own research to confirm any ideas given and then speak with a health care provider you trust.
posted
You can take all the psychotropic meds you want -- they won't treat a brain infection. Sure it might mask the symptoms and either make you a zombie or even allow one to function normally for a short period of time, but the only thing that will "cure" an infection is antibiotics -- be they prescription meds or herbs.
How many of you have actually been diagnosed with encephalitis? -- I know it is not that many. But how many have symptoms of encephalopathy -- that is probably close to 90% -- but is this ever recorded in your medical records? Highly unlikely. It may be buried in the office notes, but noone ever has a diagnosis code of encephalopathy filed with their insurance company.
Actual psychosis fortunately is rare, but it is not unknown or even unexpected if the tickborne treatment is inadequate.
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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stymielymie
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Member # 10044
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i don't know about you guys, i'm only the messenger, but articles like this stink. where is lda in defending this article. i had an episode where i had lyme rage and was hospitalized 3 days until they could change my meds. i went from depression meds to bipolar meds not a psychotic episode??? the police would beg to differ
docdave
Posts: 1820 | From Boone and Southport, NC | Registered: Sep 2006
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lymemomtooo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5396
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Yep,, sounds like the worm..I would loved to have had him visit 2 to 3 years ago and then he would be a believer.
And yes one of my lymie's diagnosis' was lyme encephalitis. But also had Bart playing with it at the same time. lmt
Posts: 2360 | From SE PA | Registered: Mar 2004
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map1131
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 2022
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Well obvisiouly these ducks haven't spent much time with us. Us being the crazies on lymenet. Just kidding.
Ask that Florida State star quarterback and his family what lyme does to the brain? I hadn't heard of violence in this young man, but he knows he had lost control.
With some brain illnesses some go suicidal, some go homicidal. This Illinois young man had obvisiouly needed help for a very long time. Somebody failed him terribly.
Pam
-------------------- "Never, never, never, never, never give up" Winston Churchill Posts: 6480 | From Louisville, Ky | Registered: Jan 2002
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