A reader asks: I am a 60-years-old man. I have a good standing among my colleagues and community.
For the last several years, I am not staying regularly with my family. And for the last two years, I am living alone in an apartment in UAE, since my wife is looking after our son, who is doing his higher studies in India.
I have a problem: I constantly talk when I am alone. I talk nonsense and about unreasonable matters. Sometimes, I yell for nothing. Suddenly, I think of something and about someone and keep yelling. All these behavior only when I am alone. Also, I yell at myself when I think of something by recollecting my behavior on the same day or in the past. I tried to control myself as much as possible but couldn't do it, as it comes so naturally to me.
The other day, early in the morning, I opened the fridge to boil an egg, but I kept saying egg, egg and started singing loudly until I got something else to do...
But recently, this behavior even spills outside, on to the street as well, when I walk alone and think of something that makes me so embarrassed. Please advise.
Dr Melanie C. Schlatter (PhD, Consultant Health Psychologist, Well Woman Clinic, Dubai) replies: Thank you very much for sharing your concerns, and I applaud you for trying to seek help.
By all accounts, it must be incredibly distressing for you to experience these thought disturbances, especially when it is out of your control, and when it is starting to happen outside also.
When people start to notice difficulties and differences with their thinking and attention, we always need to look more closely, in order to rule out other factors, and especially with respect to the fact that you are 60, and especially if this is a significant change from the norm.
If you have contact with your wife on the phone, does she ever agree that you sound different than you normally do? Often it is other people who can spot changes in us. Furthermore, are you taking any medications which may have side effects, or have you had any major illnesses or stress recently?
Are you well hydrated? Have you noticed a quick deterioration in this behaviour? It is my belief that you need to schedule an appointment with a psychiatrist who can assess you appropriately, and I believe you need to do this soon, in order to ease the confusion, distress, and embarrassment that is arising.
They will ask you a series of questions related to your thinking and current status, and your life in general; and they will be able to do the appropriate medical investigations if necessary. I do not think you need to be experiencing this, and I think your situation warrants further investigation to be on the safe side. All the very best.
Disclaimer: This blog is a conversation and is not an alternative for treatment. The recommendations and suggestions offered by our panel of psychiatrists are their own and Gulf News will not take any responsibility for the advice they provide.
