Because the anterior region of the brain represents personality, tumors in this region or brain hemorrhages that we call chronic subdural hemorrhages manifest themselves with personality disorder. For this reason, patients who need to be evaluated by a neurosurgeon are taken to psychiatry clinics for years or use antidepressant drugs for years.
Personality disorder can sometimes be seen in the form of depression, but sometimes it occurs when a very calm person becomes aggressive. It can also be manifested when a person forgets something they do every day. In some people, the tumor or subdural bleeding may not show any symptoms until it reaches a certain size. It may not even cause a headache. The personality disorder it will cause can also vary from person to person.
Symptoms such as headache, nausea, vomiting, partial paralysis in the arm or leg, or epileptic seizures are usually seen in tumors occurring in the brain or in cerebral hemorrhages, which we call chronic subdural hemorrhage, which is usually seen in the elderly. If a psychiatrist, from a patient brought to him with only personality changes, has an imbalance due to loss of strength in one of his arms and legs, if he has a speech disorder or if he forgets and asks the same questions over and over, he should urgently request a brain tomography or brain MRI, considering that he may have a tumor in the brain, a brain hemorrhage we call chronic subdural hemorrhage. required. If there is anything suspicious in the examinations, he should definitely seek help from a neurosurgeon. If there is no suspicious appearance and it is reported as normal, the psychiatrist should plan his treatment.
If an elderly patient has a history of blood-thinning medication such as alcohol and aspirin, recurrent head traumas, and a personality change with loss of strength in one side of the arm and leg, chronic subdural hemorrhage in the brain should be considered and a brain tomography or brain MRI should be requested urgently. If there is chronic subdural hemorrhage in the brain during the examinations, surgery to drain the hemorrhage should be planned urgently, and if the tests are normal, the neurologist should evaluate the patient together with the psychiatrist and plan the appropriate treatment.
If these clinical findings develop due to a brain tumor or chronic subdural hemorrhage, a neurosurgeon should intervene urgently in order to eliminate the life-threatening situation and prevent unnecessary loss of time, since there is pressure in the brain. We physicians should make the differential diagnosis well and make the correct diagnosis as soon as possible and start the treatment quickly.
