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I cannot ignore in my work an epidemic of bizarre neurological soft signs highlighted by acute increases in OCD, panic, rages, depression, and so on.
I am a 41-year veteran in the field of psychiatry and a life fellow of APA, and I have never seen anything like this before: Perhaps three dozen people of all ages in my practice have advanced multisystem symptoms of, among others, muscle, memory, and stomach distress, intermittent sinusitis, and neurological symptoms. These people, many of whom I have known for years, have gone from doctor to doctor in vain, seeking help before they finally decide they are hypochondriacs or have the "logical" emotional signs of specific stress. In the past, I might have agreed with them, but no longer.
The syndrome is all too familiar: irritability (impulsive hostility) with minimal provocation, bewildering short-term memory loss (immediate recall), transient numbness, a brief paralysis of a limb or limbs during the night, transient tremors, malaise, fatigue, GERD, lethargy, and sleep attacks. Unfortunately, each specialist sees one symptom relevant to his or her specialty and misses the big picture.
I have learned to order tests for Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, and babesiosis from a lab that does sensitive tests, and I am amazed to find so many positives. Sometimes the tests are positive but of low titer; however, regardless of titer, the patient does not recover until treated with the proper antimicroorganism agent for a sufficient length of time.
Is anyone else aware of the immensity of this problem?
Virginia T. Sherr, M.D.
47 Crescent Drive
Holland, Pa. 18966