Calling all medical people! And anyone with Hepatitis or a loved one with this affliction.
Alice has Hepatitis C. Her mental state seems to be changing. Somedays she is fine but is often depressed and irrational. She looses all track of time. She has just sat in the car in the driveway trying to remember if she is leaving the house or has just come home. She can’t remember to take her pills and to put it bluntly is a mess.
Now I must add that Alice has had mental problems before. She has suffered from depression and anxiety is on meds. But I have heard that people with this liver problem suffer from mental troubles because of it. What is going on and can her doctor tell the difference between a hepatitis caused depression and a one from other causes?
I can’t seem to find much on this. She has to living in hell. Any help will be much appreciated.
An altered mental state can be caused by severe liver troubles, and it usually indicates a very serious situation. If her doctor(s) haven’t been told about this, they should be. Memory problems and irrationality may be symptoms of something seriously awry, and this sounds like it may not be “depression” but disorientation. Please, please, make sure her doctor(s) investigate this.
If the white of her eyes start going yellow get her to a hospital.
The doctor can tell the difference between depression and liver encephalopathy, which your friend could possibly have. She needs to see her doctor, the sooner the better. And she shouldn’t be driving! She could kill herself and other people too.
Here’s an educational site on liver disease. Liver encephalopathy is discussed about 3/4 of the way down the page:
She has told me she is seeing a doctor. She is going to have some type of interferon treatment this fall. She has to be mentally stable to be on this and sees a shrink who gives her her meds for depression and anxiety. i can’t see that it is working well for her. But I don’t see her every day.