Suicide and Lyme and associated diseases

Abstract

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to investigate the association between suicide and Lyme and associated diseases (LAD). No journal article has previously performed a comprehensive assessment of this subject.IntroductionMultiple case reports and other references demonstrate a causal association between suicidal risk and LAD. Suicide risk is greater in outdoor workers and veterans, both with greater LAD exposure. Multiple studies demonstrate many infections and the associated proinflammatory cytokines, inflammatory-mediated metabolic changes, and quinolinic acid and glutamate changes alter neural circuits which increase suicidality. A similar pathophysiology occurs in LAD.MethodA retrospective chart review and epidemiological calculations were performed.ResultsLAD contributed to suicidality, and sometimes homicidality, in individuals who were not suicidal before infection. A higher level of risk to self and others is associated with multiple symptoms developing after acquiring LAD, in particular, explosive anger, intrusive images, sudden mood swings, paranoia, dissociative episodes, hallucinations, disinhibition, panic disorder, rapid cycling bipolar, depersonalization, social anxiety disorder, substance abuse, hypervigilance, generalized anxiety disorder, genital–urinary symptoms, chronic pain, anhedonia, depression, low frustration tolerance, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Negative attitudes about LAD from family, friends, doctors, and the health care system may also contribute to suicide risk. By indirect calculations, it is estimated there are possibly over 1,200 LAD suicides in the US per year.ConclusionSuicidality seen in LAD contributes to causing a significant number of previously unexplained suicides and is associated with immune-mediated and metabolic changes resulting in psychiatric and other symptoms which are possibly intensified by negative attitudes about LAD from others. Some LAD suicides are associated with being overwhelmed by multiple debilitating symptoms, and others are impulsive, bizarre, and unpredictable. Greater understanding and a direct method of acquiring LAD suicide statistics is needed. It is suggested that medical examiners, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other epidemiological organizations proactively evaluate the association between LAD and suicide.

Detection and Transstadial Passage of Babesia Species and Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato in Ticks Collected from Avian and Mammalian Hosts in Canada

“…Often, patients advance to chronic Lyme disease before they get diagnosed and treated. Psychiatric illness, caused by Lyme disease, may include violence, substance abuse, and developmental disabilities [130][131][132]. Lyme disease may cause severe and potentially fatal central nervous system complications.…”

“…Fatal neurological impairments include seizures, grand mal seizures, chronic meningoencephalomyelitis, massive hypocephalus, epilepticus, ependymitis, progressive encephalitis, cerebral atrophy, periventricular white matter disease, and irreversible brain injury [133][134][135]. When the pathologies of neuroborreliosis are unrelenting, the pain in musculoskeletal tissues is unbearable, and somnolence is unending, Lyme disease patients sometimes resort to suicide [130][131][132]. Ultimately, this severely debilitating illness can be fatal [12,116,117,119,[133][134][135].…”

Differentiating Psychosomatic, Somatopsychic, Multisystem Illnesses and Medical Uncertainty

“…This led to tragic delays in diagnosis and treatment to both patients. The first author has seen and published descriptions of many other tragic cases in his practice [57][58][59][60][61][62].…”

“…Fatigue, pain, cognitive impairments, mood dysregulation, and sensory impairments are complaints that can be validated objectively by a competent clinician and can be confirmed with mental status evaluations, psychological testing, several measurement scales, and brain imaging [114][115][116]. Vague and non-specific symptoms can often indicate immune activation in response to chronic infections, cancer, and other serious conditions [57,59,117,118].…”

A Clinical Diagnostic System for Late-Stage Neuropsychiatric Lyme Borreliosis Based upon an Analysis of 100 Patients

“…Two prior studies looked at the prevalence of clinical findings pre-infection and post-infection. However, these studies focused on Lyme disease patients who were suicidal and aggressive [32,33]. Although several studies describing clinical findings were performed previously, no prior study looked at the broad spectrum of clinical findings associated with chronic, late-stage, neuropsychiatric Lyme disease and compared these findings to the baseline state of health.…”