Find Senior Care (City or Zip)
Join Now Log In
H
honeycomb Asked December 2014

Why is my Mom saying and doing things obsessively?

My mom has had several bad strokes. Just recently she has started obsessive behavior. Her blankets on her bed are never straight enough, she smooths them constantly. That's just one example.... She has been calling my name about 6 times a minute and I cannot leave her bedroom. What is going on? Aren't I giving her enough attention? She constantly needs reassurance that everything is OK. I'm so worried. Is this brain damage from the stroke? Once sent my the strokes occurred on the right side of her brain ,making the left very weak. Please let me know if your loved one went thru something like this and what did you do?

pamstegma Dec 2014
I would get her in to see the Neurologist as soon as possible and tell the MD all that is going on. I can tell you medication might help her, but I also doubt that it will be 100% effective. Old age is creeping up on her.

jeannegibbs Dec 2014
Why is your mother now obsessive? We certainly can't diagnose her, but one real possibility is that this is the result of brain damage from the strokes. Strokes are often associated with vascular dementia.

There may be other medical causes.

This is for certain NOT the cause: anything you did or did not do. This is not about how much attention she is getting from you. It is about a problem in her brain.

Do take her to see her primary care doctor, or the specialist who treated her strokes.

ADVERTISEMENT


BarbBrooklyn Dec 2014
Honey, is your mom being looked after by regular gps? She may need to be seen by a neurologist for medication to treat her condition. Please report her behavior to her gp, just as you have here, it's a wonderful description.!

blannie Dec 2014
Here's information about OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and it can indeed be caused by stroke. http://www.dana.org/Publications/GuideDetails.aspx?id=50035

"Only about 15 percent of patients with OCD have onset after age 35. “Late onset” OCD (after age 50) is unusual and is most likely to be due to organic causes, such as strokes (ischemic, hemorrhagic) in the basal ganglia or frontal lobes."

That link also includes treatment and medications: "As we noted above, medications that inhibit serotonin reuptake appear uniquely effective in treating OCD symptoms. These include the serotonin reuptake inhibitor clomipramine (Anafranil) and such selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) as fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft). These drugs are most commonly used to treat depression."

You need to get your mom to a good neurologist who can work with you to get the right medication to ease her anxiety and OCD behaviors. Good luck and please keep us posted. I'm sure it's so frustrating to be dealing with these behaviors!

ADVERTISEMENT

Ask a Question

Subscribe to
Our Newsletter