God delusion

[timeforacuppa]

Hello everyone, hope someone can help me with this problem.

My dad has Alzheimer's and lives at home with my mum.

He has recently started falling to his knees and banging his head against the sofa etc because he says God hates him, that he is so wicked and not trying hard enough, that he is not Christian because he does not help enough at home etc ....

Other times he says God has been speaking to him telling him he is wicked, he is going to punish him by cutting off his testicles, or that God has specifically told him not to eat, not to drink, to mow the lawn or do the hoovering (he has not been capable of doing that for over 2 years.)

My mum tries to reassure him but it is not working. I did get her to call the doctor today to see if they could suggest something eg upping his antidepressant ??? (just an idea - I do not have a clue.)

Dad has been a strong Christian since a teen, he never had any doubt that he was loved and forgiven by God and that when he died he is off to heaven ... but this all seems to have gone from his brain now. Obv he won't accept any reason. And it is very hard to argue when he says "God" has told him this or that.

Any thoughts? Mum is at her wits end having the same conversation over and over and he is just so miserable (as indeed anyone would be if they felt God despised them and was waiting to punish them.)

Is this "normal" in Alzheimer's? What do we do???

 

[Sarasa]

Does he have a priest or minister that could visit and reassure him?

 

[Izzy]

I do think that getting your dad seen by the doctor is a sensible way forward. He/she can check if there is any infection present which might be causing a change in your dad's behaviour as well as discussing his present medication.

I hope you can get help for him quickly.

 

[marionq]

Definitely time for medication. I would see a specialist psychiatrist rather than his GP as they dont know as much about the different drugs. This behaviour is extreme. My husband had a period of excessive piousness which I hated and really turned me against the Church as an institution which was totally useless and invisible when he developed dementia.

The trouble is we start to accept behaviour bit by bit which no reasonable person should instead of running for the hills. I think your dad could be helped.

 

[emp]

I'm just wondering if this is your dad's 'explanation' for his difficulties caused by his condition? Some people do use negative language (my nan for example says she's useless and she's hopeless - this is her way of expressing that she can't do something) so I'm wondering if this is your dad's interpretation i.e. I can't mow the lawn, therefore must be because God said so?

It might also be if he is feeling upset by his condition and the difficulties it causes he might be thinking along the lines of why me? Oh must be because God hates me I must have done something wrong?

I also second the priest coming to visit if you can as this might give him some reassurance. Would it give him any comfort to sing some hymns? Might be worth just checking there's no underlying infection if this has come out of the blue

 

[timeforacuppa]

Thanks for your responses. The problem is not that God is telling him he can't mow the lawn etc ... but that he should!! But yes, perhaps it is a way of dealing with the why me? God says mow the lawn .. he can't ... therefore God is angry and hates him ... and wants to punish him ... and the deeper issue is why him with regard to Alzheimer's. He won't have the minister come and talk to him and though Mum can sometimes temporarily reassure him, it all soon comes back!! No doubt it is a phase ... and we just need to grit our teeth and get on with it (and reading these forums so many are enduring so much worse.)
The doctor has upped the anti depressants and referred to memory clinic again so let's just hope things improve. At least Mum has a holiday in a few weeks - I think she needs it!!

 

[LadyA]

While definitely get him checked out for any infections etc. that can cause havoc in a person with dementia, I think the title of your thread calls it as it is - "delusion". Delusions (and, in your dad's case auditory hallucinations?) can be benign and harmless, or they can cause great distress and terror. My late husband suffered horrific paranoid delusions and both audio & visual hallucinations. Eventually, his consultant prescribed medication (anti psychotics). It took three tries before he found the right medication in the right dose that worked, but when he did, it was like he had flipped a switch and turned it all off! They do of course carry risks and aren't to be used lightly, but when they are really needed, they can be a godsend.