My husband has dementia due to blood loss causing a lack of oxygen to the brain. He is very aware of his issues. The only emotion he has anymore is anger which is normally due to frustration. Though he forgets what he is mad about, the emotion (the anger) seems to last for hours, even days. When asked why he's angry he says he isn't but he won't speak and has a scowl on his face. He was never angry in his healthy life and there is no hidden illness masquerading as anger.
Your question about emotions lasting even when the reason for the anger is forgotten strikes me as insightful. I believe that is possible. The body remembers and can get in a pattern. Ask a doctor about this, too.
Please update us when you can. We are here so that you can share your story and we'll help in any way that we can.
Take care of yourself, too.
Carol
For instance, let's say you fall ill away from home. Now let's say someone who knows better steps out of line by denying you something you need normally use and leaves you sitting on the sideline. Let's say you happen to be alone in an unfamiliar area and don't know any phone numbers and furthermore you forgot your phone. People who should've known better were negligent in getting you what you needed, especially when you normally use those very helpful items when you have a certain condition. Negligence on the part of people who know better on my end up making the problem far worse, causing other physical repercussions for the patient. This can also cause emotional upset at a time the patient cannot handle it because they're already sick. This is an example of what kind of problem can cut real deep and take a long time to heal. Something like what I'm talking about happened to me and it took about two years or more to actually heal from the negligence of people who knew better. Retaliation against the patient definitely makes matters even worse yet. This example is just one among many other examples that cause long-term internal scars. Losing someone may often be another example, depending on how attached you were to the person you lost. It could be a parent, spouse, or dear friend. Sometimes a loss is something that a person may never fully recover from, especially if there's unfinished business between the two parties. Depending on what the unfinished business is will depend on how badly it impacts an already bad situation. You don't have to be mentally ill or have some kind of brain disease in order to be negatively impacted by a painful event, because painful events are very significant parts of our life that very often never should've happened. Loss is inevitable, but there are a number of other things that aren't supposed to happen that do anyway. Anyone at any life stage can be affected if the situation hurts bad enough and deep enough
Hubby is also taking Risperidone (0.25 mg lowest dose) but to help him stop the voices he was hearing in his head in the middle of the night. He gets frustrated and not really angry.
I'm beginning to see where there is individual differences yet sameness with dementia. Thank you all for being here.
a few wks. I read an article where anxiety depression are undertreated in elderly & often overlooked.
the vivid details of an actual event, i.e. "I was lost in the woods
for two days, I was scared of the shadows, hungry, etc." will fade.
Emotions may not, and as time goes on, strong emotions may be triggered by,
in our example, a dark room. This is confusing to the person and to those
around them too.
So I think something like this must be happening with your loved ones. Medication solutions have not been found for PTSD, some help of course.
Very trying, I empathize and wish you the very best.