Thousands of verified Experts are ready to answer your specific questions 24/7.
Satisfaction is guaranteed and you pay your Expert only if you are satisfied.
Just type your detailed question and click "Get an Answer."
In minutes you'll get a response from an Expert. You can always ask follow-up questions.
Happy with your answer? Just click "Accept" to pay your Expert.
I am a 41 year old woman who was diagnosed with severe bi-polar about a year ago. I tried several meds that made me drastically worse over the course of a year and a half. My friends say my personality has changed alot in the past 5 years, Heres the Question. My uncle died of picks disease in his early 40s now my mother (his sister) who lives with me is rapidy declining from picks related dimentia. Im wondering if there is a resonable chance that that is actually what my problem is, could I have been mis-diagnosed and if so what can I do to find out?
Gender: FemaleAge: 41 Already Tried: Psycholical meds and counseling, but have new info on family history and my behavior has changed even with or without meds
HiCustomer
I'm very sorry to hear about these problems you and your family have been afflicted with. Unfortunately, Pick Disease does tend to be hereditary. And even more unfortunately, there is not much in the way of treatment for this disease.
Given your family's circumstances, I think it would be wise for you to pursue this idea to get an accurate diagnosis. The initial symptoms look like they would be very similar to the symtoms of Bipolar disease. There are many tests that should be done to rule out other causes, and to differentiate this condition from your current diagnosis. This testing would include imaging studies of the brain.
Here is a link to Pick Disease from eMedicine, in case you haven't read up on this. There are lists of diagnositic testing, lists of other conditions that could mimic Pick disease, and some ideas for follow-up when the diagnosis is made. There are also other links included for reference. This article is a bit technical, but it has good information.
You can start by educating yourself about the condition, then discuss your concerns with your regular physician and tell him/her that you are interested in finding out whether you actually have Pick disease. There is also genetic testing for it. You will probably have to be referred to a specialty center for this to get it done. Your doctor will be able to give you this information.
There is no real treatment for this, but there are medications people are given that are "neuroprotective", and for relief of symptoms.
Nurse (RN)
36+ yrs exprience medical, surgical, wound/skin care, nutrition, geriatrics, rehab, management