May 9, 2011 – After a Connecticut woman was arrested for unusual behavior � wearing neon pink panties outside of her pants and a gun sticking out of her jacket � the woman�s mother reportedly told authorities that her manic behavior was a side effect of her Lyme disease treatment.
Let�s explore this together.
First, Lyme disease is common in certain areas of the U.S. And Connecticut is one of those areas. After all, it�s named after the town of Lyme, Connecticut.
Second, Lyme disease is a bacterial infection, transmitted by a tick bite, so we treat it with antibiotics. And there are, in fact, reports of antibiotics causing manic episodes. That includes antibiotics sometimes used to treat Lyme disease.
Still, mania associated with antibiotics is rare, and I�m not aware of any reports linking mania with the antibiotic (doxycycline) most commonly used to treat Lyme disease. Of course, I don�t know which antibiotic she may have been taking.
So what about Lyme disease itself? Could it cause strange behaviors or mania?
There are indeed rare reports of Lyme disease, which can infect the brain, causing symptoms of mania.
It�s important to note that typical symptoms of mania include excessive happiness, irritability, restlessness, and rapid speech. However, some people with mania become psychotic, meaning they may hear things that aren�t there, believe things that aren�t true, or see themselves as having superhuman skills and powers. As you can guess, this could lead to strange behaviors.
Doctors will likely have their hands full, trying to determine the cause of this unusual behavior, particularly if she has no history of mental health problems. Stay tuned. I wouldn�t be surprised if this makes an upcoming episode of House.
