Bouts of crying

[islandmum]

My mum has Alzheimer’s and, so far has coped reasonably well. Over recent months she has become much more forgetful and is very aware of this. She tries hard to maintain her sense of humour and positive attitude but recently I have noticed that she is increasingly irritable and low in mood. She told me last week that she’s been having bouts of uncontrollable crying, for no apparent reason. Can anyone give me any insight into this and suggest ways I can reassure her.

 

[PaulEd]

Hi, I am not sure what to reply. i think people with AD go through an enormous range of emotions and it is hard to see it from their perspective. My mother is aware of the problem but how does she reconcile herself to that? She must be very frightened sometimes. At other times she is denial. Sorry it's not an answer really but it must be incredibly hard for people who have this disease, to know there is something wrong and not to be able to control it.

 

[canary]

She told me last week that she’s been having bouts of uncontrollable crying, for no apparent reason.

Im wondering whether this is the Psaudo Bulbar Effect which is a fairly rare symptom of dementia. Its where there is a sort of disconnect in the emotions - they laugh at things that are not funny or cry at things that are not sad. Often they dont know why they do it. I dont think there is any treatment, but reassuring her that she is OK will likely help

 

[Louise7]

@islandmum You mention that your mum is low in mood and that, coupled with the irritability and bouts of crying, suggests that she may have depression, which is common in those with dementia. It could be that this has been triggered by the fact that she is aware that her memory is getting worse. Mum went through a stage of having a low mood and crying a lot (but when asked wasn't able to explain why she was crying) and was prescribed a low dose anti-depressant for a short time which seemed to help. It's worth letting the GP know about these symptoms to see what they suggest. You may find these links helpful as they give tips on supporting someone with dementia and depression:

https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/symptoms-and-diagnosis/apathy-depression-anxiety

https://www.alz.org/help-support/caregiving/stages-behaviors/depression

 

[Quite contrary]

My mum has Alzheimer’s and, so far has coped reasonably well. Over recent months she has become much more forgetful and is very aware of this. She tries hard to maintain her sense of humour and positive attitude but recently I have noticed that she is increasingly irritable and low in mood. She told me last week that she’s been having bouts of uncontrollable crying, for no apparent reason. Can anyone give me any insight into this and suggest ways I can reassure her.

It sounds to me like depression as it is exactly how I was 4 years ago when I became overwhelmed (basically had a breakdown). I had therapy and have been on antidepressants since then which have helped a lot. You say she is very aware of her forgetfulness and coping reasonably well but deep down she may well be depressed.