system
What causes excessive crying and forgetfullness?
human
Hi, may I answer your health queries right now ?  Please type your query here...Our family is starting to worry about my father. He is 73 and has become very emotional. He seems to cry at the drop of a hat. Sometimes it is something as simple as someone getting killed in a car wreck but yesterday my cousin (who we don't know very well as they live far away) miscarried and is in intensive care and he couldn't stop tearing all morning.  We had people scared enough that they thought something had happened to our immediate family. He had been like this once before and had gone on Testosterone and seemed to get better but then he stopped taking it.  He is taking it again but I don't know how much. Should he go to a doctor and what kind.  What questions do we need to ask? He is also very easily distracted and also has become very forgetful. We can't tell if this is partly because he has a radio in his ear a lot or if he just doesn't remember. Thank-you very much for helping, Bonnie
gpt
Hello and thanks for writing in.I understand that you are very concerned about your dad's recent emotional problems. You have mentioned that he is becoming more emotionally labile, having crying spells and forgetfulness. These symptoms at this age could be due to two possibilities:-Dementia, specifically when the the frontal lobe is involved.- DepressionI would advise you to take him to a psychiatrist for a detailed evaluation. He will also need to have a detailed neurocognitive assessment and an MRI scan of the brain. Further treatment will depend on the diagnosis. So, please take him for an evaluation as early as possible.Regards, Dr. Jonas SundarakumarConsultant Psychiatrist