Trying to understand the crying/sobing

livlea

Every time one of her kids visits her at the memory care (every 2 days ) , she is lying on her bed crying and often sobing..

It take at least 15 minutes to console her (she does not know why she is crying ) and then everything is ok , and she is in a good mood when we leave .

Is she really in a turmoil or is it the brain that is damaged , therefore not as dramatic..

Psycho geriatric says she is not depressed, she eats well , she is on medications venlafaxine and antipsychotics .

In a way, I guess it doesn't really matter, but I try to understand as much as I can so that I can better put myself in her place.

Anyone has an explanation?

SusanB-dil

Hi livlea - it is called pseudobulbar affect syndrome. It is disconcerting, but really nothing to worry about. There is a medication for it if it is very bad. And it could very well be laughing as well as crying.

Marchbanks

As the previous poster noted it’s probably pseudobulbar affect. The drug that might help is called Neudexta. My husband has the laughing form of this. He was laughing all day and it had nothing to do with whether something was funny. In his case, the Neudexta did not work but he is now taking Seroquel and that has provided some relief. Her crying is most likely not tied to actual sadness but just a progression of the disease. It is not uncommon but hard on the family.