Her Autoimmune Illness Was Misdiagnosed as a Mental Disorder

It's been a while since I've reviewed a medical case with you, and I've missed sharing insights from my day-to-day work in neurology. So, today, we're diving back into one of my original content themes: exploring fascinating neurological cases.
In this video, I’ll discuss a young woman who developed a mysterious brain disorder that manifested as psychosis. Please note that all names and personal details have been changed to protect the patient's privacy.
*The information on this channel is provided as an educational resource only. This channel and its creator do not create a patient-physician relationship. Content in this video, including text, graphics, images, and information, is for general informational purposes only and is not medical advice, nor does it replace a consultation with your own physician. You must not rely on the information on this channel's content as an alternative to medical advice*
📷 Image credits:
HSV encephalitis - pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36992...
MRI brain, autoimmune encephalitis - www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

Пікірлер: 36

  • @robertlenzo3303
    @robertlenzo3303Ай бұрын

    Different autoimmune but literally Rens life over a decade. You should react to Ren - Troubles as he tries to bring light onto this exact subject.

  • @salvadoroliveira6632
    @salvadoroliveira6632Ай бұрын

    Dr. Anna, having saved even if only one life, especially of a young person with a bright future ahead, is a wonderful accomplishment and I'm glad for you!❤

  • @KC-ug8du
    @KC-ug8duАй бұрын

    I am a student neuropsychologist and really appreciate your interesting and cool videos / case scenarios! Thank you!

  • @isabella9654
    @isabella9654Ай бұрын

    Great! I live with epilepsy myself and have a NeuroPace RNS system and still experience a lot of seizures (I just had 5 complex focal seizures on Monday 6/10). I also have a LOT of brain abnormalities like: ectopic pituitary gland, periventricular nodular heterotopia, and a large hypothalamic hamartoma. I wanted to go into epileptology until I was diagnosed and my dreams have since been shattered, I HATE epilepsy and feel so much for her! :( I wish her the best!

  • @neurogalmd

    @neurogalmd

    Ай бұрын

    Thank you so much for sharing your story, Isabella. Navigating such a challenging journey must be incredibly difficult :( Even though your path has taken an unexpected turn, your insight and empathy (which clearly shine through!) could make a profound difference to others facing similar battles. Your experiences give you a deep understanding that could be incredibly valuable to so many people - whether it be through advocacy, support, or even just by sharing your story as you’ve done here. Have you looked into Epilepsy Foundation? They offer great resources and community support where your empathy and experiences can shine. I hope you find ways to pursue your passions in any form they take. Sending you love and best wishes, Isabella!

  • @isabella9654

    @isabella9654

    Ай бұрын

    @neurogalmd Awe, thanks for your reply! 🙂 While I can't do my first choice of dream jobs, I still have others to fall back on, thankfully. My next pick of a job was a Cybersecurity Analyst/Systems Administrator (ethical hacking). As a result, I still get to live my dream. It's just not the original dream I planned. I have heard of the Epilepy Foundation and have an account there as well, I should be more active there as you mentioned. That is a great idea to still help those who may need it from someone who has some/similar experience. Since I have a NeuroPace RNS device for a few years, I am also working on becoming either a RNS Ambassador or RNS Patient Educator; something I'd LOVE to do in my spare time! I really appreciate your reply and dedication to medicine, especially to the neurology field!

  • @user-kz5cw2gj3w
    @user-kz5cw2gj3wАй бұрын

    Isn't this the case with Ren. My point would be that he did not have a mentally induced psychosis, but was misdiagnosed. There is a big difference. It means he doesn't have any mental illness and never did. He had undiagnosed Lyme disease and doctors thought his symptoms were all in his head. This probably happens a lot more than the mental health care systems will admit.

  • @studentaccount4354

    @studentaccount4354

    Ай бұрын

    That is because big Pharma is in medical colleges teaching students to treat symptoms and fit the diagnosis to the drug.

  • @neurogalmd

    @neurogalmd

    Ай бұрын

    Hi Craig! Thank you for your thoughtful comment. You're right that there are parallels between Ren's experience and the case I discussed. Ren has shared in his videos and songs that he has experienced neurological and neuropsychiatric symptoms related to chronic Lyme disease, which were misdiagnosed as purely psychiatric for many years. Although the causes of Ren's and my patient's conditions differ, you are correct in that both were misdiagnosed initially as primary psychiatric illnesses. These types of cases are an important reminder of how complex and intertwined neurological and psychiatric symptoms can be. Thanks again for your insightful input!

  • @arryaxx263
    @arryaxx263Ай бұрын

    That's interesting! It's always kind of shocking how difficult some causes can be to find, especially with psychology. Give me a(easily fixable) physical problem any day.

  • @penguinatedthings305
    @penguinatedthings305Ай бұрын

    Everything about the brain and mind is fascinating to me. I really enjoy these kinds of videos.

  • @teri2466
    @teri2466Ай бұрын

    I'm curious - why were you brought in initially? Was there something about Sarah's symptoms that went beyond what a psychiatrist would deal with? I'm wondering what would make docs call in a neurologist, since it seems this might be underdiagnosed. Thanks, this was very interesting. 😊

  • @neurogalmd

    @neurogalmd

    Ай бұрын

    Hi Teri! That's a great question. I was brought in because she exhibited severe confusion and cognitive deterioration that raised concerns among the emergency medicine team. They suspected that her symptoms might stem from something beyond a purely psychiatric issue, especially considering how cognitively sharp she had been before her symptoms started. Also, she presented with fever, an elevated heart rate, and high blood pressure-symptoms known as dysautonomia. These are not typically seen in cases of purely psychiatric illness and suggested the need for further investigation into potential infections/autoimmune causes affecting her neurological function.

  • @teri2466

    @teri2466

    Ай бұрын

    @@neurogalmd Interesting, thank you!

  • @studentaccount4354
    @studentaccount4354Ай бұрын

    Most mental illnesses show metabolic and brain region issues. There really are physical components to mental illnesses that are often over looked leading to misdiagnosis. Excellent case study. TY

  • @usmanwisa3386
    @usmanwisa3386Ай бұрын

    Great information thank you

  • @salvadoroliveira6632
    @salvadoroliveira6632Ай бұрын

    Your explanation about that autoimmune response made me think of how antibodies produced against a bacteria species may attack peripheral nerves causin demyelination ( Guillain-Barré syndrome). Fortunately your patient recovered!

  • @Beevreeter
    @BeevreeterАй бұрын

    Very interesting, Anna... she was lucky to have you as her doctor.

  • @khyathi4168
    @khyathi4168Ай бұрын

    This was interesting, I love watching your videos especially the ones on nootropics. What do you think of Qualia mind?

  • @hackeando_escolhas
    @hackeando_escolhasАй бұрын

    Tks 🤝 so important

  • @Hawkkaii-ih2ps
    @Hawkkaii-ih2psАй бұрын

    Loving your videos and new sub, hope you pu have a wonderful weekend.

  • @CarbonBeast
    @CarbonBeastАй бұрын

    Oh no 😢

  • @tazrianr4497
    @tazrianr4497Ай бұрын

    A really interesting case. Thanks for putting it out for us. I'd like to know one thing about her convulsions, was it seizure or pseudoseizure?

  • @neurogalmd

    @neurogalmd

    Ай бұрын

    Thank you for the positive comment, Tazrian! Great question - Her convulsions were caused by epileptic seizures. I didn't mention it in the video because I wanted to keep it at around 5 minutes, but she had an EEG that showed epileptiform abnormalities in the temporal regions of her brain.

  • @podalirius1826
    @podalirius1826Ай бұрын

    Interesting case! Might be more of a question from the psych standpoint of things, but in your research on the condition, does the psychosis tend to differ from that seen in schizophrenia as well? I've only seen 2 anti-NMDA patients and both presented with extremely violent behaviors, which to the best of my limited understanding is fairly rare in schizophrenia. Do you know if those violent tendencies would tend to be more suggestive of anti-NMDA over schizophrenia?

  • @Buds1own
    @Buds1ownАй бұрын

    Can RadioGel help now??? :) ♥

  • @teckillakam
    @teckillakamАй бұрын

    Theres a movie base on this, based on a true story, "Brain on fire"

  • @Buds1own
    @Buds1ownАй бұрын

  • @faizanalvi3932
    @faizanalvi3932Ай бұрын

    can you make a video giving a possible explanation of whats going on with joe biden with the most exposure to it on the presidential debate i saw your video on mitch mcconnells freezing episode and it was really insightful would love to see more medical explanatory videos there's not a lot of NeuroContent on yt

  • @tydillon8430
    @tydillon8430Ай бұрын

    I know this is not related to the video at all but I just found your reactions and was wondering if you’d do, can’t handle this by bo burnham!

  • @Lou-xq9br
    @Lou-xq9brАй бұрын

  • @mhirtl1994
    @mhirtl199429 күн бұрын

    pls react to mgk - sun to me. Its a cover, but this one hits different

  • @MNNiceEthnobotanicals
    @MNNiceEthnobotanicals24 күн бұрын

    Let's do a collab!

  • @salvadoroliveira6632
    @salvadoroliveira6632Ай бұрын

    The YT video " what is like to be a bat " presents interesting thoughts about consciousness.