system
Suggest ways to deal with mood swings for a really ill patient
human
My husband has CHF, Coronary Artery Disease, Cardiomyopathy, ventricular tachycardia,emphysema, hypothyroidism, 3 blocked arteries that can not be repaired, ejection fraction was 25% when last checked and a AAA that was 5.2 before it was repaired with stents last year. He takes 15 different medications and uses 2 different inhalers. He is 67 years old and is normally fairly calm but recently he has started having mood swings and yelling at me. Is this a sign that things are going down hill ?  and what's the best way to deal with the mood swings?
gpt
Hello and welcome to Healthcare Magic. Thanks for your query.I understand that you must be going through a very stressful time due to your husband's recent change in mood and behaviour. It is quite likely that this irritability, anger outbursts, etc. could be a sign of an underlying depression. Persons with coronary heart disease are at a much higher risk of developing depression. I would advise you to report this problem to your doctor so that he can make an appropriate referral to a psychiatrist. Often SSRI anti-depressants such as Sertraline have been proven to be quite effective in controlling these symptoms.  Wish you all the best.Regards,Dr. Jonas SundarakumarConsultant Psychiatrist