Why does the doctors personality change

Most people have jaundice yellow skin and eyes , feel tired Low blood sugar hypoglycemia Hypoglycemia Hypoglycemia is abnormally low levels of sugar glucose in the blood. Hypoglycemia is most often caused by drugs taken to control diabetes. Much less common causes of hypoglycemia include other Systemic lupus erythematosus Systemic Lupus Erythematosus SLE Systemic lupus erythematosus is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory connective tissue disorder that can involve joints, kidneys, skin, mucous membranes, and blood vessel walls.

Problems in the Thyroid disorders, such as an underactive thyroid gland hypothyroidism Hypothyroidism Hypothyroidism is underactivity of the thyroid gland that leads to inadequate production of thyroid hormones and a slowing of vital body functions. Facial expressions become dull, the voice Graves disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism Less commonly, Lyme disease Lyme Disease Lyme disease is a tick-transmitted infection caused by Borrelia species, primarily by Borrelia burgdorferi and sometimes by Borrelia mayonii in the United States.

These spiral-shaped bacteria Sarcoidosis usually develops in people aged 20 to 40, most often people Syphilis can occur in three stages of symptoms, separated by periods of apparent good health. It begins During the initial evaluation, doctors try to determine whether symptoms are due to a mental or physical disorder.

In people with changes in personality or behavior, certain symptoms and characteristics are cause for concern. These warning signs include. Symptoms that suggest malfunction of the brain, such as difficulty walking, balancing, or speaking or vision problems.

People who have warning signs should be seen by a health care practitioner as soon as possible. Law enforcement may need to be called if people are violent. People who have no warning signs should see a doctor within a day or two if the personality or behavior change was recent. If the change occurred gradually over a period of time, people should see a doctor as soon as is practical, but a delay of a week or so is not harmful.

Doctors first ask questions about the person's symptoms and medical history. Doctors then do a physical examination, including a neurologic examination Neurologic Examination When a neurologic disorder is suspected, doctors usually evaluate all of the body systems during the physical examination, but they focus on the nervous system. Examination of the nervous system—the What they find during the history and physical examination often suggests a possible cause of the changes and the tests that may need to be done see table Some Causes and Features of Personality and Behavior Changes Some Causes and Features of Personality and Behavior Changes Healthy people differ significantly in their overall personality, mood, and behavior.

However, a sudden, major change Questions include when symptoms began. Many mental disorders begin in a person's teens or 20s. If a mental disorder begins during middle age or later, especially if there is no obvious trigger such as loss of a loved one , the cause is more likely to be a physical disorder. A physical disorder is also more likely to be the cause when mental symptoms change significantly during middle age or later in people with a chronic mental disorder.

If changes began recently and suddenly in people of any age, doctors ask about conditions that can trigger such changes. For example, they ask whether people have just started or stopped taking a prescription or recreational drug.

Difficulty walking or speaking: Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson disease, stroke, or intoxication from an opioid or a sedative. People are also asked whether they have previously been diagnosed and treated for a mental or seizure disorder. If they have been treated, doctors ask whether they have stopped taking their drugs or decreased the dose.

However, because people with mental disorders may also develop physical disorders, doctors do not automatically assume that any new abnormal behavior is caused by the mental disorder.

Doctors ask about physical disorders people have such as diabetes and about their lifestyle such as their marital status, job situation, educational background, use of alcohol and recreational drugs, and living arrangements. Doctors also ask whether family members have had any physical disorders that can cause mental symptoms such as multiple sclerosis.

During the physical examination, doctors look for signs of physical disorders that can cause changes in mental status, particularly the following:.

Abnormalities during the neurologic examination, such as difficulty forming words or understanding language possibly suggesting a brain disorder. Confusion and delirium are more likely to result from a physical disorder. People with mental disorders are rarely confused or delirious. However, many physical disorders that cause changes in behavior do not cause confusion or delirium, but they often cause other symptoms that may appear to be a mental disorder.

Doctors bend the person's neck forward. If doing so is difficult or painful, meningitis may be the cause. Doctors check the legs and abdomen for swelling, which may result from kidney or liver failure.

If the skin or whites of the eyes look yellow, the cause may be liver failure. Doctors may examine the interior of the eyes with a handheld device that looks like a small flashlight called an ophthalmoscope Ophthalmoscopy A person who has eye symptoms should be checked by a doctor. However, some eye disorders cause few or no symptoms in their early stages, so the eyes should be checked regularly every 1 to If doctors see swelling in part of the optic nerve papilledema Papilledema Papilledema is a condition in which increased pressure in or around the brain causes the part of the optic nerve inside the eye to swell.

Symptoms may be fleeting disturbances in vision, headache Measurement of the oxygen level in the blood using a sensor clipped to the person's fingertip called pulse oximetry. Blood tests to measure levels of alcohol and levels of any antiseizure drugs Antiseizure drugs In seizure disorders, the brain's electrical activity is periodically disturbed, resulting in some degree of temporary brain dysfunction.

For most people known to have a mental disorder, no further testing is needed if their only symptoms are worsening of their typical symptoms, if they are awake and alert, and if results of these tests and their physical examination are normal.

Other tests are done based mainly on the symptoms and examination results see table Some Causes and Features of Personality and Behavior Changes Some Causes and Features of Personality and Behavior Changes Healthy people differ significantly in their overall personality, mood, and behavior. Tests may include. Computed tomography Computed Tomography CT In computed tomography CT , which used to be called computed axial tomography CAT , an x-ray source and x-ray detector rotate around a person.

In modern scanners, the x-ray detector usually MRI does not use x-rays and is usually very safe A spinal tap Spinal Tap Diagnostic procedures may be needed to confirm a diagnosis suggested by the medical history and neurologic examination.

Electroencephalography EEG is a simple, painless procedure in which Blood tests to evaluate thyroid function: If people are taking lithium , have symptoms of a thyroid disorder, or are over 40 years old and have personality or behavior changes that have just started particularly people with a family history of thyroid disorders and women.

Blood cultures to check for bacteria in the bloodstream : If people are very ill and have a fever. Blood tests to evaluate liver function: If people have symptoms of a liver disorder or a history of alcohol or drug abuse or if specific information about them is not available.

The underlying condition is corrected or treated when possible. Whatever the cause, people who are a danger to themselves or others typically need to be hospitalized and treated whether they are willing or not. Many states require that such decisions be made by someone appointed to make health care decisions for the mentally ill person called a surrogate decision maker Default Surrogate Decision Making If a person is unable to make decisions about personal health care, some other person or people must provide direction in decision making.

The general term for such person is surrogate decision If the person has not appointed a decision maker, doctors may contact the next of kin, or a court may appoint an emergency guardian.

People who are not dangerous to themselves or others can refuse evaluation and treatment, despite the difficulties their refusal may create for themselves and their family. Other causes include drugs including withdrawal and side effects , disorders that mainly affect the brain, and bodywide disorders that affect the brain. Doctors are particularly concerned about people with confusion or delirium, fever, headache, symptoms that suggest brain malfunction, or a recent head injury and about people who want to harm themselves or others.

Typically, doctors do blood tests to measure the levels of oxygen, sugar glucose , and certain drugs such as antiseizure drugs the person is taking, and they may do other tests based on the symptoms and results of the examination.

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This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here. Common Health Topics. Commonly searched drugs. Ranitidine Withdrawn from US Market. Confusion and delirium. Disorganized speech. Disorganized behavior. Mood extremes. Mental disorders Drugs Disorders that mainly affect the brain Bodywide disorders that also affect the brain. Warning signs When to see a doctor What the doctor does Testing. Key Points.

Overview of Mental Health Care. Test your knowledge. In dissociative fugue, people lose some or all of their memories from the past, and they usually leave their environments, such as their family or job. Dissociative fugue is often mistaken for malingering faking physical or psychologic symptoms to obtain a benefit.

Which of the following is characteristic of a person with dissociative fugue but NOT of a person malingering? More Content. Click here for the Professional Version. Changes in personality and behavior can be roughly categorized as one of the following:.

Confusion or delirium. Mental disorders. Mental disorders include. Drugs may affect personality or behavior when they cause.

These disorders can affect personality, mood, and behavior. They include. Bodywide disorders that also affect the brain include. Symptoms that appear suddenly. Palpitations: Possibly an overactive thyroid gland or use or withdrawal of a drug. Headache: Brain infection, brain tumor, or bleeding in the brain hemorrhage. Numbness or tingling: A stroke, multiple sclerosis, or a vitamin deficiency. Typically, tests include the following:.

Sometimes blood tests to measure electrolyte levels and to evaluate kidney function. For most other people, blood tests to check for HIV infection are usually done. Chest x-ray: If people have a fever or a productive cough or they cough up blood.

However, unusual personality changes may be a sign of a medical or mental disorder. A person behaving in an uncharacteristically moody, aggressive, or euphoric manner, inconsistent with their usual way of behaving in similar situations also demonstrates a personality change.

Being nonchalant in situations that would normally cause stress or aggravation is an example of a personality change. Look for the following signs to determine if strange or unusual behavior is an emergency situation:. If you or someone else experiences any of these symptoms, seek medical attention immediately. Call Grief , bad news, and disappointment can cause a normally happy person to become downtrodden. However, some people experience unusual or strange behavior for years, which may occur due to an illness or injury.

A person may experience a change in their demeanor after experiencing a traumatic situation or witnesses an unpleasant event.

Medical conditions that cause a fluctuation in hormone levels can also cause strange or unusual behavior. These conditions include:. An injury to the frontal lobe of the brain, located underneath the forehead, may lead to symptoms including a personality change. Find out more about the causes, symptoms, and treatment of brain damage.

After you experience a stroke, during which a blood vessel in your brain ruptures or the oxygen supply to your brain is interrupted, you may have symptoms including a personality change. For example, they may ignore one side of their body or food on one side of a plate. Following a frontal lobe or right hemisphere stroke, some people may experience impulsive behavior.

This may include being unable to think ahead or understand the consequences of their actions. Get a better understanding of the symptoms of a stroke. A brain tumor in the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, or parts of the cerebrum can cause personality changes. For example, someone who was easy to get along with could become irritable. An active person could become more passive. Find out more about brain tumors and their symptoms. Dementia, which is caused by illness or injury, is an impairment of at least two cognitive brain functions.

The loss of neurons cells in the frontal lobe of the brain can cause people with mild dementia to experience personality changes such as becoming more withdrawn or depressed. People with moderate dementia may experience more significant personality changes, such as becoming agitated and suspicious of others. Learn more about the symptoms, causes, and treatment for dementia. The prescription drug Adderall is the brand name for the combination of dextroamphetamine and amphetamine.

Among the reported side effects of stimulants like Adderall are new or increased hostility and aggressive behavior. However, this appears to be related to misuse of the medication. Find out more about the effects of Adderall on the body.

Alcohol addiction, also called alcoholism, is a disease that changes the brain and neurochemistry. These developments can cause a change in personality. People with alcohol addiction may become increasingly depressed and lethargic. They may have lowered inhibitions and impaired judgment. They become verbally or physically abusive.

Learn more about the symptoms and treatment for alcohol addiction. In a study , researchers compared the results of personality tests taken by adolescents in with those taken by the same people at age Minor personality changes in older adults, such as becoming more irritable or agitated, are not unusual.

A study suggests that older adults have different personality traits than those of younger people. For example, neuroticism tended to increase in adults in their 80s.

Some people may revert to a younger age as they grow older. This could be a sign of depression or a way to cope with aging. Get a better understanding of the types of age regression.

A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury TBI caused by an impact to your head. Sometimes the symptoms may linger in what is known as post-concussion syndrome. An injury to the brain may affect how you understand and express emotions. It could also result in a personality change due to your emotional reaction to the changes in your life brought about by the brain injury.

Learn more about the symptoms and treatments for post-concussion syndrome. However, some people may continue to feel depressed for weeks after the heart attack. If your depression is severe, you should see a healthcare provider. Without treatment, it could lead to an increased risk for another heart attack. Find out more about the causes, symptoms, and treatment for a heart attack. Antidepressant medications are commonly prescribed to treat major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.

Among their side effects may be personality changes. A study suggests that people who take Paxil, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor SSRI , not only become less depressed but also become more confident and outgoing. The more extreme the personality change, the less likely the person would have relapses. However, more research in this area is needed. Learn more about the side effects of antidepressants. Some of the symptoms of Lyme disease , which is transmitted to people from the bite of an infected blacklegged tick, may include physical signs, such as a rash, and psychological signs, including mood swings.