18 y.o. DD's mysterious brain ailment, advice please
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Anonymous
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Not sure if this is the right forum, but here goes...
My high school senior DD was an A student for the first two years of high school. During the first half of her junior year, she had a brief illness, like a cold with a fever. After that illness, her personality changed. She got depressed, was unable to concentrate, her grades dropped. I took her to a therapist, who said she was depressed, but could not figure out why. The therapist saw her a few times, and suggested she might have some physical illness, like PANDAS or Lyme. I took her to an infectious disease specialist who ruled out most infections, including Lyme, mono, etc. He said she may have had some viral illness that affected her brain, particularly executive functioning. He suggested getting a neuropsych eval and finding an executive functioning coach. We didn't do the neurospych (too expensive) but found exec functioning coach, who worked with DD twice, gave her some study tips and said she was fine, was organized, didn't need any more help. DD is a senior, on a reduced course load and is getting Bs. Will graduate soon. She got accepted to some so-so, not very competitive colleges. She wants to go to college, but DH and I feel she should take a year off, work and spend more time healing her brain. Depression is gone, and she's back to her cheerful self, but she's dropped all activities (sports, music lessons, hobbies) except socializing with her many friends. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Could she have ADHD inattentive? Or PANDAS? Or some sort of brain damage due to a viral infection, as the infectious disease guy suspects? Any advice, feedback, comments, suggestions most appreciated. I'm really not sure where to go from here, what to test her for, if anything, whether or not to send her to college. I don't want her to fail at college, and end up back at home. TIA. |
Anonymous
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Depression and anxiety can cause all sorts of brain fog and disconnects
What does she want to do? Is it Possible she's ever dealt with an eating disorder or sexual abuse? You are focusing on a cold, but could an event have triggered issues? |
Anonymous
| I'd go to a neurologist. I would not take a year off. She may not want to go back. Let her and give support her. |
Anonymous
| Let her go to university - she can heal and study at the same time. And I went to a so-so university and then a brilliant grad school so its not the end of the world that she's not going to Harvard. If it doesn't get better, try an anti-viral medication and see if it helps? Can't hurt ... |
Anonymous
| You are focusing on physical causes instead of simply what occurred here. Your daughter's personality changed. She became depressed. Her habits changed. I think it's time to stop attributing this to a magical physical causation, as if this were an episode of House and she is going to get a dose of the magic cure-all. She needs help from a good therapist. And, most of all, she needs acceptance from you for her choice of college. Stop referring to her college as so-so. That is really remarkably unfair. And taking a year off to "heal her brain" has no medical basis and frankly sounds like a terrible plan for a depressed kid. Let this girl go to college. |
Anonymous
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This has to be a multi-pronged approach in my opinion.
I would keep getting her tested, you need to talk to more doctors including a Rheumatologist who can run tests for any autoimmune diseases - which PANDAS is one of. Get her tested for that again. At the same time I would make an appointment to see a neurologist, as well as a therapist to see what is going on with her mental health. Lastly - your gut is your second brain so I would clean up her diet asap. Remove sugar, in all forms - bread, pasta, rice, snack foods. do only organic fruit, vegetables and meats. And stick with it. Do not give up. |
Anonymous
This is an eighteen year old, not a four year old. |
Anonymous
| Is she on medication for depression/anxiety? I'd head back to the therapist, see if she needs a psychiatrist and let her go to college. |
Anonymous
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There isn't always a trigger or reason for depression OP.
Her mysterious brain ailment may be depression -- which can, however, be mysterious to the patient and those around him or her. Agree she still needs to be seeing a psychologist. Fine to rule out things like PANDAS though. |
Anonymous
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It's rare for PANDAS to occur after the onset of puberty, isn't it? And it presents more often with anxiety, tics and behavioral issues. Regardless, if it's PANDAS the treatment wouldn't be any different from what you've already done - and it sounds like the depression is gone.
Bs are fine, and it's great she's going to college - who cares if it's "so-so". Just do the best you can to prepare her and find out what supports they have there to support her. |
Anonymous
| It definitely sounds like a form of an autoimmune neurological disorder, probably not PANDAS, but similar. Have you read Brain on Fire? I'd make an appointment with Dr. Beth Latimer. She's your best bet locally. |
Anonymous
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Did she swim in a lake? Brain parasite/worm?
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Anonymous
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You need to be working with a neurologist and a psychiatrist. Both are M.D. doctors and can consider brain-based or other physical causes of your DDs recet decline. There are many possibilities. An infectious disease specialist or rheumatologist only see their narrow scope of expertise. They are good for ruling out particular issues, but this approach is like going to a hand doctor - good if you know the problem is in the hand, but something can be missed if the problem is in the brain or spine but the symptoms you see are in the hand.
Also, while a therapist can be cery helpful for a person coping with illness, while they might recognize some symptoms and make suggestions, they are not qualified to diagnose. The good news is a neurologist and a paychiatrist should be covered in rhe same way as any other doctor on your health insurance. If the neuropsych is being recommended to identify decline in cognitive skills to help identify illness, then it may indeed be reimbursable, because it is medically necessary. |
Anonymous
Have her tested for various viruses, take her to an infectious disease specialist. This could reactivate sometime in her life. http://www.merckmanuals.com/home/brain,-spinal-cord,-and-nerve-disorders/brain-infections/encephalitis |
Anonymous
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I would get the neuropsych done. Go to children's or Kki b/c it will more likely be covered.
Also maybe considering drug testing for her. |