Dementia mimicing Bipolar disorder?

Chammer

57 yo hubby hasn't been diagnosed with MCI or dementia but has signs that lead me to believe that it is beginning.  He is becoming more and more grandiose, hurried and almost desperate in his plans and ideas.  He is terrified of dying and "I want to be known in this community."  I would describe it as almost "manic" He doesn't have any mental illness diagnosis but has often said he feels like he is "manic/depressive" (I know an old term) although he doesn't have a history of long depressive episodes.  I finally realized after almost 30 years that his always  "very stressed out" is actually anxiety.  I have suggested that he get a neuro or psych eval to no avail - Has anyone experienced early dementia as something that looks like bipolar disorder?   We have our own business and I fear that some of his ideas may cause significant issues in the future.  He also won't put a will or power of attorney in place because he doesn't want to think about dying.

sandwichone123

You might try marketing POA as a business decision--not about dying but about having a backup--"You know, we're in business but we might need to be able to make decisions when the other isn't around..." If he's grandiose it could be "I'd hate to miss the big opportunity because only one person could..."

storycrafter

 "Has anyone experienced early dementia as something that looks like bipolar disorder? "

Manic-Depressive/Bi-polar disorder was one of the diagnoses my husband went through before his FTD (FrontoTemporalDementia) diagnosis five years ago. Before that, MCI, Anxiety, and PTSD due to work related stress.

Anti-depressants and 300 mg Seroquel have been most helpful for my husband in returning some quality of life, reducing anxiety, and evening out the highs and lows enough to make it more manageable. (What helps each person is very individual and can take some trial and error to figure out.)

Keep a dated log of behaviors to show his doctor/s. It was only when I shared my written log with the doctors that they took my concerns seriously.

Wishing you the support you need at this time. You're not alone in this journey.

Mint

I most definitely have had these experiences with my mom.  Sounds  familiar to me.  Memory is not a huge issue with my mom but behaviors are very challenging.

Chammer

I put together all the information the attorney asked of me for POA(s) and will.  Showed DH with a "hey, we need to get this together for business, etc."  It included us as 1st agents for each other and our kids as 2nd agents for both of us.  He blew up, accusing me of "I know what you are trying to do; I'm not ready to die, trying to get rid of me - well, I am giving all my money to someone else - you won't get anything."  I tried to laugh it off - haha, death rate is still hovering around 100%; you are to ornery to die young and I have to stay around to annoy you to the end...hahaha."  tried getting real - "we also need to do this so the state doesn't tell us where our stuff is going."  He continued to be unreasonable.  I told him he could do what he wants with all his stuff, but we needed to get plans in place for whatever "he plans" again so the state doesn't dictate where stuff goes.  Ugghh... I will just move forward with what I think will be the best, present it in a more final form and see what happens.

star26

It sounds like you can add paranoia to the list of his symptoms. I would make sure you are provided for and protected financially before all else. It may be helpful to talk to an attorney about what you can do as spouse and co-owner of the business to protect yourself from financial losses and liability issues caused by his mental illness, whatever it is. You can usually still do quite a bit as a spouse and joint account holder even without POA.  I would not want my name or money mingled with someone with these behaviors, regardless of what's causing them. Hopefully, your name is on everything and you are already familiar with all your finances and business dealings. Don't wait around for him to come to his senses or for something big to happen. Just look out for yourself at this point. Your bio mentions that your DH abuses alcohol. If you ever get him to a doctor, make sure to tell the doctor about that.