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Paranoia and Diabetes, connection?

B

Bea8

Newbie
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2
Type of diabetes
Family member
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
My great uncle has diabetes, I am not sure which type. He is in his 80's and has said at his age he can't be bothered to adjust his lifestyle or to worry about this. I've advised him this is not a good idea and that he should listen to his doctor, but he is otherwise very independent and proud, and there is little I or the rest of the family can do about it.

Suddenly, he had an episode of extreme paranoia. He has accused my mother of trying to kill him several weeks ago when she took him out for a meal. They spoke in between and things were fine, but he was suddenly convinced that she had been trying to kill him for his money. Obviously, we are very concerned. This was over the weekend so we couldn't reach his GP or ours to get advice. We had to call the out of hours support line, the person we spoke to said that the issue could be his blood sugar levels.

We managed to get fold of a friend of his who called him and spoke to him about the issues with my mother, and he called her to apologize (we didn't want to go round as he was so convinced she was trying to murder him, we were worried it might make things worse). He said he couldn't remember most of the conversation and it was so odd he didn't think it had happened. We are going to see him Monday, and we are going to try to convince him to see his GP. He swears he is fine, so this will be a challenge.

Has anyone heard of this before? I'm mostly looking for information I can give him to try to convince him he should speak to his GP. Dementia and a few other possibilities come to mind, as well, and I'm also trying to see what we need to rule out, and how we might be able to support him with what has caused this.

Any insights would be greatly appreciated!
 
Bea8 said:
Dementia and a few other possibilities come to mind, Any insights would be greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...

I am not aware of any connection between paranoia and diabetes. I would assume that his condition is the result of his age and more so if he spends time alone where his imagination might run riot.

The only link I have ever read about is in the Stephanie Seneff blog where she says that statins cause dementia but you don't say whether or not your Uncle is on statins. Diabetics are often prescribed statins as are many other people.

Frankly, my first assumption would be that he is just an old man not doing very well.
 
Dementia and diabetes can be very closely related - some people even call Alzheimer's Type 3. But the Squire is right about statins also causing issues for some people.
 
I have seen these sort of episodes with people when they get older and you have my deepest sympathies. Sometimes sufferers can be very pleasant but forgetful. My own grandmother asked me three times in ten minutes who I was. When I asked her where my grandfather lived when she met him though, she was able to remember the street name and the house number. She became the typical 'dotty' elderly relative.

Some people become irritable because they get frustrated and some develop a very low mood. It's easy to see how someone who is often being told to watch what they eat become suspicious as they get confused about why they are being told. I don't know anything about the causes, I doubt it is anything to do with diabetes though, but your GP will be able to offer advice and there are people who deal with this sort of thing. Fingers crossed it might be the statins or it may be some chemical deficiency, even something as simple as a vitamin deficiency. There are about 60 possible reasons. I trust he isn't smoking cannabis so you can narrow it down to 59 but, you'll have to speak to someone in a professional capacity.
 
People can be paranoid in a severe hypoglycaemic state (critically low blood sugar) and also can often have memory loss in that state.

However I would suspect that given your relative's age, the age related explanations are more likely than the diabetes related explanations.
 
I agree with what Spiker wrote, above.

I have myself experienced what might be called quasi-paranoia during a hypoglycaemic episode. I was alone amongst strangers whilst shopping in Marks & Spencer! (Since that occasion, I bear in mind that I need to be particularly careful when I'm alone in a public environment.)

But at least for me, I'm sure that such an experience could never extend to what you have described.
 
It could well be the effects of low blood glucose depending upon your great uncles treatment type, however no one can say for sure and this matter should be brought to the attention of his Dr if it is unusual for him to behave in this manner.
 
Hi Bea8,

I'm not going to even guess what was going on with regards to your "great uncles" unnerving accusations...
My father in his 80's had dementia. (He was also Type2) & though my dad had the odd unwarranted wave of panic, it was never cast in a family members direction.
These episodes were always let go of with a matter of fact approach to his general wel being.

Might i suggest you enquire what type of diabetes you great uncle has & the type of medication he's on??

I also feel that encouragement could be given to adjust his lifestyle for the better in the form of the fact that if he feels the "vultures are circling", It maybe in his interest to listen to his GP & Diabetes specialist to help prolong that quality of life....

I wish your great uncle all the best!
 
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The OP wrote "he can't be bothered to adjust his lifestyle or to worry about this".

As such, if anything, he is likely to have high blood sugar levels, not low blood sugar levels.
 
Well, with me, the higher my blood sugar goes up, the quicker - and lower - it can fall.

Did the trip out for a meal involve unexpected exercise (stairs, walking from car park to restaurant), any stress (unusually heavy traffic, an argument), a delay in eating (my parents think nothing of skipping lunch if we are eating out that evening...).

With me, hypoglycaemia brings the same irrational fury that is associated with PMT (only available at any time of the month!), so I think it quite likely that someone else could experience paranoia.
 
Brunneria said:
With me, hypoglycaemia brings the same irrational fury that is associated with PMT (only available at any time of the month!), so I think it quite likely that someone else could experience paranoia.
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Not with me.. I'm introvert & passive... A little like a "stoner" without the deep rhetoric...
 
I think it's something to do with my body producing adrenalin to try and raise the glucose levels again. Sets me spoiling for a fight. Lol. But not at all funny for anyone around me at the time!
 
Brunneria said:
I think it's something to do with my body producing adrenalin to try and raise the glucose levels again. Sets me spoiling for a fight. Lol. But not at all funny for anyone around me at the time!
Click to expand...

I know.. I was attacked by a hypoglycaemic customer once.. He went for my throat over the counter & i threw the guy back along with a Mars Bar.. He came back sheepish & apologised an hour later..
 
If you had thrown the Mars Bar out the shop door, I would have followed it out like a retriever.

Only without the retrieving bit.

Sorry folks. Off topic. Will behave from now on.

(Unless that adrenalin kicks in...)
 
Regarding the mention of Dementia.. (Or even Altzheimers.)

The irrational behaviour during a brief outburst of a sufferer could be based on their actual fear.
So if a sufferer is claiming people in his house or defending the room against an unseen enemy Could be an unspoken flashback to an event in the past...?

The guy who on when his wife of 60 years walks into the room says "your not my wife". On odd occasions, may well have an image of the woman he married in his youth..? Or even a (dare i say it) memory of a long distant "infidelity"?

You see where i'm going with this... Does your great uncle have potential (or even had?) money issues????
(No need to answer this on an open forum. Just trying to help you form an understanding.)

Check your great uncle hasn't just got or had a "waterworks" infection too..?
That can affect the elderly s perception on reality & spin em out..
 
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Thank you everyone for your feedback!

I've now been to see him with my mother. Other than this sudden accusation his mental faculties seem completely fine. He's a very sharp gentleman, and his short and long term memory are probably better than mine are. He knew when we got there that we were going to try to get him to see a doctor, and kept telling us he was healthy for his age, and the same as always. He thinks the problem is that he is lonely and feels depressed. He lives alone, and his brother passed away not very long ago. He doesn't have any children. This did come up as a common cause of paranoia in the elderly in my Google searches, but I'd rather he saw a doctor to get checked out than to assume this. He made it clear he wasn't doing that.

For now we are going to shelve trying to get him to see his GP, as we don't think he is at immediate risk if it is a health issue or that we'll be able to convince him to go in the short term, and we are going to try making sure he has more company.

What was most troubling was that this was so sudden and there was no lead up to it. My experience of Demetia and Altzheimers in other relatives was there was a slow decline and confusion/memory issues before they got more agitated or distressed and began making things up to explain their changed perceptions or gaps in their understanding, but apparently paranoia can be an early warning sign of these conditions.

The accusation against my mother doesn't seem connected to anything in the past or present. She took him out for dinner with her partner, which she paid for, and then they saw him onto the train home. Nothing about this is new or unusual, she's been taking him out for meals regularly since I was a little girl, before that my grandmother was doing it, and now my partner and I go out with him, as well. He thought that she wanted to push him down the station steps. This was a week or so ago, he made the accusation on Saturday, my mother spoke to him twice between this and the meal and she said he didn't give any indication he thought she had been plotting his death! Money wise, I have no idea how much money he has, but he isn't exactly wealthy. He lives in a little bungalow, which is so old fashioned entering it is like taking a trip back in time. It seems exactly as it was when my grandmother used to walk me round after school to visit, save a few extra photographs as there have been new additions to the family. Certainly, none of us have ever expressed any interest in his money, or his will. If anything, when we take him out we have to argue with him so he will let us pay for things.
 
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