Communica tion Breakdown 2 2 5 with G

Communica tion Breakdown 2. 2. 5. with G racie Hobbs and Wayne Daley

Situation v Susan, a 35 year-old teacher, has been referred to you from a psychologist who works in your building. She was being treated for depression and mood swings, but now that she has started physical symptoms, the psychologist thinks she needs a neurology consult. Obviously nervous, Susan says, “You might think that I am crazy, but sometimes my hands and feet just seem to move on their own, kind of like they are dancing. ” She goes on to say that she remembers her mother experiencing the same thing a few weeks before she died. Sadly, her mother was killed in a car crash before the doctors could ever explore her symptoms. Other than the limb movement, Susan has noticed that she seems to be forgetting little details at work. She has a few bruises on her legs. When asked about them, she tells you that she has been a bit clumsy lately and seems to fall down more than she used to.

Symptoms v Susan, a 35 year-old teacher, has been referred to you from a psychologist who works in your building. She was being treated for depression and mood swings, but now that she has started physical symptoms, the psychologist thinks she needs a neurology consult. Obviously nervous, Susan says, “You might think that I am crazy, but sometimes my hands and feet just seem to move on their own, kind of like they are dancing. ” She goes on to say that she remembers her mother experiencing the same thing a few weeks before she died. Sadly, her mother was killed in a car crash before the doctors could ever explore her symptoms. Other than the limb movement, Susan has noticed that she seems to be forgetting little details at work. She has a few bruises on her legs. When asked about them, she tells you that she has been a bit clumsy lately and seems to fall down more than she used to.

How we diagnosed Susan : 0 Parts of Brain affected for… 0 Depression and Mood swings- Frontal Lobe, Hippocampus 0 Involuntary movement of hands and feet- Motor Cortex 0 Forgetting little details- Frontal Lobe 0 Clumsiness- Cerebellum

First Possible Medical Problem 0 We thought that our patients could be experiencing a stroke due to: 0 Bruising 0 Memory loss 0 Clumsiness 0 But there was also: 0 0 Depression Mood swings Involuntary movement Her mother had the same symptoms

Second Possible Medical Problem 0 We also thought that our patient might instead be experiencing a vitamin B-12 deficiency because of: 0 Depression 0 Memory loss 0 Clumsiness 0 But she didn’t show signs of: 0 0 0 Vision loss Constipation Pale skin Tiredness Shortness of breath

Huntington's Disease 0 We determined that our patient had Huntington’s Disease which is a genetic defect on chromosome 4 that causes progressive deterioration of nerve cells in the brain 0 Symptoms of Huntington’s Disease include: 0 Behavioral awkwardness and moodiness, paranoia, speech impairments, coordination difficulties, involuntary movements, and restlessness 0 Huntington’s is incurable but there is symptom help

Why the communication issue? 0 Caused by a deterioration of neurons in different sections of the brain 0 Signals cannot be communicated efficiently 0 The communication between the body and brain is destroyed and removed

What’s Next? 0 For symptom help Susan now needs to visit a neurologist and therapist to help her…

Neurologist 0 A neurologist assesses the mental health and ability of a patient. They can identify the parts of the brain injured due to her disease and explain why her body is changing and reacting the way it is.

Therapist 0 A therapist, or psychologist, talks with a patient and can help Susan cope and talk through her feelings. They are educated to help people’s mental health and diagnose a more specific mental illness. They can also help with physical health and offer treatment options.