“There really isn’t a whole lot of information out there about Lyme and how it impacts people from a mental or psychological standpoint,” said Christine Hammond, a mental health counselor. “I think it’s so important that the mental health community just pays attention to what I would consider […] issues which appear to be psychological, but really, they’re medical.”
Photo: YouTube/SeekerAccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the most common vector-borne disease in the United States of America is Lyme Disease. It is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and, rarely, Borrelia mayonii which get transmitted to humans through the bite of infected black-legged ticks which are also known as deer tick (Ixodes scapularis).
Misdiagnosis of Lyme Disease is Dangerous because It Could Make Some People Suicidal
The early signs and symptoms of Lyme Disease (3 to 30 days after tick bite) are:
- fever
- chills
- headache
- fatigue
- muscle and joint aches
- swollen lymph nodes may occur in the absence of rash
- Erythema migrans (EM) rash. Begins to appear at the site of the tick bite, which later enlarges up to 12 inches or more and fades away but may leave a bull’s eye appearance. The rash may also appear in other parts of the body and vary in appearance.
Photo: YouTube/Seeker Later signs and symptoms may include severe headaches and stiff neck, more rashes, arthritis, irregular heart beat (Lyme carditis), dizziness, and shortness of breath. But symptoms can be alleviated through early diagnosis and proper antibiotic treatment according to CDC.
However, according to Hammond, Lyme Disease may cause chronic psychological symptoms that some doctors misdiagnose as signs of mental or psychosomatic disorder.
People are often not aware that they have been bitten by a tick that carries the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. They may experience slight symptoms, but later their condition deteriorates which cause they can’t explain to their health care providers.
Photo: YouTube/Seeker There are also cases when Lyme Disease has already been treated with antibiotics, added Hammond, and yet the patient does not fully recover. Instead, they may suffer from the following psychological symptoms:
- severe depression
- anxiety
- paranoia
- delusions
- hallucinations
- short psychotic episodes
Unfortunately, Hammond realized that the conditions of these patients are often misdiagnosed. One of her patients was erroneously diagnosed with fibromyalgia, while another was treated for early onset Alzheimer’s disease. She also had another patient whose condition was dismissed as a psychosomatic disorder.
To Hammond, these incidents are quite tragic since they can worsen a patient’s mental symptoms, especially depression and paranoia. Some patients can get overwhelment by frustration and anxiety to the point that they want to end their misery.
Photo: YouTube/Seeker “I had several clients who not only were suicidal but attempted suicide as a direct result of not being taken seriously for their Lyme disease,” said Hammond.
Neurological Lyme Disease: Effects on a Person’s Mental Health
Another sad reality about Lyme disease is that current testing still lacks efficiency, resulting in patients waiting too long for accurate diagnosis and treatment.
Photo: YouTube/Seeker This gives the bacteria time to invade the central nervous system, leading to psychiatric and neurological symptoms among late-stage Lyme patients, such as:
- Nerve pain, which may begin at the back down to one’s legs
- Weakness, numbness, or tingling
- Bell’s palsy
- Depression
- Anxiety or panic attacks
- Irritability
- Rage or aggression
- Obsessions and/or compulsions
- Hyperactivity
- Sleep disorders
- Hallucinations
- Brain fog
- Confusion or memory problems
- Lack of organization
- Attention and focus problems
- Anti-social behavior
- Communication problems
- Executive functioning problems
- Difficulties in mental processing
According to Daniel Cameron, a New York-based medical doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, an overlapping of chronic Lyme symptoms with other illnesses makes medical professionals commit mistakes.
Photo: YouTube/Seeker “A lot of times a doctor recognizes that someone is ill,” explained Cameron. “But Lyme disease is such a hot subject they often will pick something else like fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue as a diagnosis.”
And even with the right diagnosis and treatment, many doctors who treat Lyme are unwilling to continue treatment past the common short-term use of antibiotics.
“If you don’t get better in two weeks, they’re reluctant to overshoot the odds,” said Cameron. “There has to be a little more flexibility, in terms of doctors looking at someone with Lyme.”
Neurological Lyme Disease and Long Covid: A Door Opens amid the Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic, despite all the havoc it’s been wreaking around the world, has brought hope to patients with Neurological Lyme Disease.
Photo: YouTube/Seeker Patients with “long Covid” suffer similar symptoms experienced by late-stage Lyme patients. Due to this, more doctors are paying attention to the impacts of both diseases to mental health.
Hammond hopes that this time around, Lyme patients would also receive the same help and support that medical practitioners give to long Covid patients.
“As mental health practitioners, we have a responsibility when we have a patient that comes into see us, to take them seriously and really be the support that they need,” said Hammond. “The difference that that makes is just huge.”
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