Those with lupus can develop a mental illness like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia just like other people. You may need to see a neurologist or psychologist in order to get a correct diagnosis.
Occasionally lupus causes an illness which is closer to schizophrenia or bipolar affective disorder (manic depression).
Lupus and its treatments can impair mental & emotional health. 80-90% of people with lupus. Neuropsychiatric lupus describes feelings of depression, headaches, and lupus fog — trouble thinking or remembering due to lupus. 25% of lupus patients experience major depression and 37% have major anxiety, research shows.
One of the more recent discoveries in the study of bipolar disorder is that autoimmune diseases may play a role in the condition's development. Studies have found that having an autoimmune disease or suffering a severe infection increases the risk of also having bipolar disorder.
People with lupus may experience unpredictable changes in moods and personality traits. This can include feelings of anger and irritability. These may be related to the disease process or, in some cases, the use of corticosteroid medications.
Mental illnesses like bipolar disorder and hallucinations can be among the most frightening and upsetting of lupus complications. Serious mental disorders may occur when lupus attacks the brain, spine, or nerves. The medical term psychosis includes mood swings, mania, serious depression, hallucinations, or delusions.
Many people with lupus sometimes have confusion, memory loss, and trouble expressing thoughts. The medical term is cognitive dysfunction. These symptoms can come and go. Lupus brain fog can be frustrating, but you can learn to live with your symptoms and improve your quality of life.
What causes bipolar disorder? No one knows exactly what causes bipolar disorder. Research suggests that a combination of factors could increase your chance of developing it. This includes physical, environmental and social conditions.
A stressful circumstance or situation often triggers the symptoms of bipolar disorder. Examples of stressful triggers include: the breakdown of a relationship. physical, sexual or emotional abuse.
Bacterial infections such as syphilis and Lyme disease have neurological manifestations that can cause bipolar-like symptoms. At the same time, viral infections such as Epstein - Barr virus (EBV) and Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) have been associated with bipolar disorder.
How are lupus and PTSD linked? Having PTSD can increase your chance of developing autoimmune diseases, including lupus. According to studies, autoimmune diseases occur more often in people with PTSD. Research has shown that trauma changes the immune system.
Using such measures and including all categories of the ACR diagnostic guidelines, 80% to 90% of SLE patients have some neuropsychiatric manifestation, with the most common being depression (50% to 60%); headache (50% to 70%); and cognitive dysfunction (30% to 50%).
Studies suggest people with lupus often abstain from sexual activity and avoid intimate relationships for a variety of reasons, including side effects of medication, mood changes, and physical challenges. All of these can affect sexual function, desire and behavior in both women and men with lupus.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, autoimmune disease that has a wide variety of physical manifestations, including neuropsychiatric features. Bipolar disorder (BD) is a chronic, episodic illness, that may present as depression or as mania.
Some physical illnesses and neurological conditions can cause hypomania and mania. This includes lupus, encephalitis, dementia, brain injury, brain tumours and stroke.
Recent evidence has suggested a prominent role of inflammation in mood disorders. Elevated levels of peripheral proinflammatory mediators have been reported in BD, as well as in other mood disorders, and people with systemic autoimmune diseases have an increased risk of developing BD.
After a manic or hypomanic episode you might: Feel very unhappy or ashamed about how you behaved. Have made commitments or taken on responsibilities that now feel unmanageable. Have only a few clear memories of what happened during your episode, or none at all.
Bipolar disorder can cause your mood to swing from an extreme high to an extreme low. Manic symptoms can include increased energy, excitement, impulsive behaviour, and agitation. Depressive symptoms can include lack of energy, feeling worthless, low self-esteem and suicidal thoughts.
Bipolar disorder is frequently inherited, with genetic factors accounting for approximately 80% of the cause of the condition. Bipolar disorder is the most likely psychiatric disorder to be passed down from family. If one parent has bipolar disorder, there's a 10% chance that their child will develop the illness.
A person with bipolar disorder may be unaware they're in the manic phase. After the episode is over, they may be shocked at their behaviour. But at the time, they may believe other people are being negative or unhelpful. Some people with bipolar disorder have more frequent and severe episodes than others.
In general, a brain MRI will show more lesions with MS ("black holes and bright spots") but sometimes the brain lesions found with lupus or MS can be indistinguishable.