My dad retired recently and he is in his early 70's. I do not know if it is because he has more free time or because he has a condition, but his paranoia is getting worse. He spends a lot of time every day reading conspiracy theories. He is very intelligent, yet it seems the more outrageous the conspiracy theory he finds the more likely he is to believe it, without even double checking the facts.
What scares me is that he has a collection of (legal) rifles, but now he wants to keep them around the house (with ammo) rather than in a cabinet like he used to. The conspiracy theories seem to have him convinced that at some point our house will be raided and he needs to be ready to defend himself. His eyesight and hearing are getting worse; I'm worried that he might not recognize one of us at some point and make a fatal mistake. And besides that, we have family that visits with young children, I'm afraid of them coming across the firearms.
He has always had OCPD but it is getting worse. He never handled the money (that has always been my mom's job) and he has always been irresponsible with it, but he is taking it to new heights, blowing hundreds and hundreds of dollars at a time without even seeing if there is enough to pay the bills. His memory for names has never been good either, and it is only getting worse.
I'm not sure if this is Alzheimer's or just his personality getting more severe as he gets older. I'm really stressed out and I really could use some suggestions.
Sorry if this isn't the right area to post but I didn't know here else to.
Speaking to someone at your local Alzheimer's Association could be a big help. I'm sure this is something that a lot of families have to deal with, and the Alzheimer's Association can steer you to the resources you need. You should not have to wait until something awful happens to get involved.
It sounds like it very well could be the start of some sort of dementia. The guns part of it is what is most worrying. I'd make a hard and fast rule with everyone if possible that no one will visit if your dad is leaving his loaded guns out. It's just too dangerous for the children and adults involved! I agree with educating yourself about dementia and the kinds of symptoms a person exhibits when it starts. And try to get your dad some help if possible. With his paranoia, it's not going to be easy.
Trust your judgement
You wouldn't be asking about this if you didn't already know something is wrong.Listen to that voice in your head that is worrying you. I think professional help is needed in this situation. Thank goodness your parents have you to help care for them. Please also take care of yourself!
Bipolar (also known as manic depressive) is well understood and very treatable allowing the sufferer to function well in society with the help of medications. It is very common. Patients alternate between moderate to severe depression and mania when they are extremely high energy.
Schizophrenia is more difficult to treat especially as many patients are non compliant, resist treatment and generally function poorly in society. The have hallucinations and delusions often hearing voices in their heads that tell them to do antisocial things, as in the Newtown massacre.
Like putting your baby in a car seat, this has to be nonnegotiable. The possibility of a dead grandchild is real, and it's unfortunately not that rare. When - before! - kids come in the door, the guns are to be locked up. End of conversation.
First, if you can afford it, I'd recommend you find a good geriatric care manager or social worker -- preferably one experienced with dementia because this may be early dementia -- to help you figure out some practical approaches to negotiating re the gun safety, getting evaluated at the doctor, managing your own stress, etc.
As a doctor, I have to say that paranoia is often the first problem that families bring up, in cases that later turn out to become dementia. That's not to say that all paranoia is dementia, just that it's a common way for the mental slippage to become apparent.
Getting evaluated for dementia and mental illness will help you understand the underlying problems, but still leaves you with lots of practical issues to wrangle :(
Re whether it's dementia, the Alz Association has a good resource "know the 10 signs" which explains usual aging vs more worrisome signs.
You can also google AD8 Informant Interview or AD8 dementia screening interview (there's a copy of this on Alz.org too); it's a list of 8 questions that families can answer regarding memory/thinking skills. If you do it before going to see the doctor, you'll be bringing very useful information that can complement some kind of office-based memory testing...plus it can help you keep track of how he's doing over the next few months.
Good luck!