Archive for the ‘Lyme’ Category

PTSD-Like Symptoms After Medical Gaslighting in Lyme Disease

https://danielcameronmd.com/ptsd-like-symptoms-lyme-disease/

PTSD-Like Symptoms After Medical Gaslighting in Lyme Disease

Posted By: Dr. Daniel Cameron

Recognizing PTSD-Like Symptoms in Lyme Disease

Many patients describe racing thoughts before appointments, fear of being dismissed, and physical reactions when discussing symptoms. These PTSD-like patterns arise not only from infection, but from the experience of being doubted, delayed, or disbelieved.

Patients report:

  1. Flashbacks of being dismissed or misdiagnosed

  2. Anxiety before medical visits

  3. Insomnia and startle reactions

  4. Emotional numbness or loss of trust

Bransfield (PubMed) has extensively documented the psychiatric manifestations of Lyme disease, including trauma-related anxiety, intrusive thoughts, depression, and emotional dysregulation.

“Medical dismissal can wound as deeply as disease itself.”

Why PTSD-Like Symptoms Develop in Lyme Disease

Medical gaslighting undermines safety — a key foundation of recovery.
When patients with Lyme disease are denied validation or treatment, the nervous system stays locked in survival mode.
The overlap between chronic infection and trauma responses can amplify fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, and pain sensitivity.

Emerging research suggests that inflammation and prolonged immune stress can heighten the brain’s threat response — making it harder to return to a sense of safety.

For many, validation is not simply emotional comfort — it’s a biological reset that allows the nervous system to stand down from chronic defense.

The PTSD Framework (DSM-5 Criteria)

To understand why so many patients describe trauma-like reactions, it helps to look at how PTSD itself is defined.

The DSM-5 classifies Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a trauma- and stressor-related disorder with symptom clusters that last more than one month and cause significant distress or impairment.

1️⃣ Exposure to Trauma

Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence, through:

  1. Direct experience

  2. Witnessing the event

  3. Learning it occurred to a close contact

  4. Repeated or extreme exposure to details (e.g., first responders)

2️⃣ Intrusion Symptoms (≥1)

  1. Recurrent, involuntary distressing memories

  2. Nightmares or flashbacks

  3. Intense distress at reminders of the trauma

3️⃣ Avoidance (≥1)

  1. Avoidance of thoughts, feelings, or conversations related to the trauma

  2. Avoidance of places, people, or activities that trigger memories

4️⃣ Negative Alterations in Cognition and Mood (≥2)

  1. Negative beliefs (“I’m broken,” “No one can be trusted”)

  2. Distorted blame of self or others

  3. Persistent fear, anger, guilt, or shame

  4. Diminished interest in activities

  5. Detachment or estrangement

  6. Inability to experience positive emotions

5️⃣ Alterations in Arousal and Reactivity (≥2)

  1. Irritability or angry outbursts

  2. Hypervigilance

  3. Exaggerated startle response

  4. Sleep disturbance or poor concentration

6️⃣ Duration and Impact

  1. Lasts more than one month

  2. Causes clinically significant distress or impairment

  3. Not due to substances or another medical condition

When the Trauma Isn’t a Single Event

Many Lyme patients don’t meet all DSM-5 criteria — particularly the “qualifying trauma” element — but develop PTSD-like symptoms through chronic exposure to helplessness, disbelief, or prolonged illness.
These experiences are often cumulative rather than catastrophic — a slow erosion of safety and trust that rewires both body and brain.

Chronic infection, inflammation, and repeated invalidation create a complex trauma environment, where the nervous system remains in defense mode long after the acute threat has passed.

Restoring Safety and Trust

If you’ve lived through disbelief or dismissal, you’re not alone.
Sharing your story can help others feel seen — and remind them that healing begins with being heard.
Recognizing PTSD-like symptoms in Lyme disease is an important step toward healing — both medically and emotionally.

References

For more:

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Psychological Aspects, research

Study: 92% of Pediatric Bipolar Disorder Had Evidence of Tick-Borne Exposure

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/child-and-adolescent-psychiatry/articles/10.3389/frcha.2025.1685016/full

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, 05 November 2025

Sec. Developmental Psychopathology and Mental Health

Volume 4 – 2025 | https://doi.org/10.3389/frcha.2025.1685016

This article is part of the Research TopicSevere Mental Illnesses in Children: Unravelling Developmental Trajectories, Neuropsychiatric Impairments, and Chronic PainView all 3 articles

Investigating the frequency of tick-borne infections in a case series of 37 youth diagnosed with pediatric bipolar disorder

Rosalie Greenberg1,2*
  • 1Medical Arts Psychotherapy Associates, P.A., Summit, NJ, United States
  • 2Overlook Medical Center, Summit, NJ, United States

Introduction: This retrospective chart review examined 37 youth with pediatric bipolar disorder from a private practice in the Lyme-endemic state of New Jersey, expanding on findings from 27 previously reported cases to explore the potential contribution of tick-borne infections to disease etiology.

Methods: Diagnoses were based on DSM-IV-TR and DSM-V criteria using parent and child interviews, questionnaires, and school reports. Initial screening evaluated for possible PANDAS/PANS, with testing for Group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus, Borrelia burgdorferi, Babesia, Bartonella, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Lyme disease testing included ELISA, Western Blot (IgM/IgG), and immunoblots, interpreted per CDC guidelines. Other pathogens were assessed via IgM/IgG titers, anti-streptolysin O, anti-DNAase B, fluorescent in situ hybridization, and blood cultures. A positive diagnosis required both laboratory evidence and clinician confirmation.

Results: Babesia was detected in 51% (19/37), Bartonella in 49% (18/37), Mycoplasma pneumoniae in 38% (14/37), Borrelia burgdorferi in 22% (8/37), and Group A Streptococcus in 19% (7/37).

Overall, 92% (34/37) had evidence of tick-borne exposure, with 81% (30/37) meeting both laboratory and clinical criteria.

Discussion: More than three-quarters of the cohort demonstrated confirmed tick-borne infections. Overlaps between bipolar disorder and tick-borne illness—such as immune dysregulation, chronic symptomatology, and responsiveness to treatments like minocycline and anti-inflammatory agents—support further exploration of infectious contributors to pediatric bipolar disorder. While limited by its single-practice retrospective design, these findings suggest that tick-borne pathogens may play a role in the pathogenesis of bipolar symptoms in youth, warranting larger, controlled studies.

For More:

Category:

Babesia, Bartonella, Lyme, Mycoplasma, PANS, Psychological Aspects, research

Imaging Shows Early Vascular Interactions of Borrelia in Skin

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-64326-w

Open access

Published: 

Targeted volume imaging reveals early vascular interactions of Lyme disease pathogen in skin

Nature Communications volume 16, Article number: 9330 (2025) Cite this article

Abstract

Although the contours of the dissemination pathways of human pathogenic spirochetes in the vertebrate hosts are known, detailed high-resolution information on these processes remain lacking. In this study, we establish an efficient serial block-face scanning electron microscopy workflow incorporating semi-automatic AI-driven segmentation to investigate the architecture of early events following the deposition of Borrelia burgdorferi at the tick bite site in mice. We capture evidence of Borrelia penetrating the lymphatic endothelium via both transcellular and paracellular routes and observe its early presence within the lumen of the lymphatic vessel. The multistep process of transcellular migration is documented in detail, showing sequential invagination and encasement of shorter Borrelia segments by the lymphatic endothelial cells during intravasation. Our findings reveal that the first contact of B. burgdorferi and blood vessels is not random but involves close interactions with pericytes. We also capture the infiltration of immune cells in the skin and their interactions with invading bacteria. Altogether, these observations suggest that Borrelia strategically targets vascular regions with lower mechanical resistance to breach the endothelial barrier, thereby enhancing its dissemination.

Category:

Lyme, research

Case Report of Male With Anaplasmosis

https://www.cureus.com/articles/416304-relative-bradycardia-in-a-61-year-old-male-with-anaplasmosis-a-case-report#!/

Relative Bradycardia in a 61-Year-Old Male With Anaplasmosis: A Case Report

Jessica A. James • Melissa Brown • Samuel M. Segal • Maria Gutierrez-Castillo

Published: October 17, 2025

DOI: 10.7759/cureus.94785 

Open Access
Peer-Reviewed

Cite this article as: James J A, Brown M, Segal S M, et al. (October 17, 2025) Relative Bradycardia in a 61-Year-Old Male With Anaplasmosis: A Case Report. Cureus 17(10): e94785. doi:10.7759/cureus.94785

Abstract

Human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), or anaplasmosis, is a tick-borne illness caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum, a gram-negative intracellular bacterium. A. phagocytophilum is primarily transmitted by Ixodes scapularis in the northeast United States and by Ixodes pacificus in California. Presenting symptoms typically include fever, chills, malaise, headache, myalgia, and rarely a rash. This case describes a 61-year-old Black male with a complex medical history, including prior tick-borne and arboviral infections (Lyme disease, dengue fever, and chikungunya), hypertension, mixed hyperlipidemia, bilateral carotid artery dissection, gastroesophageal reflux disease, atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response, and current tobacco use. This patient presented to an emergency department in upstate New York with a fever, fatigue, constipation, myalgia, and night sweats. Throughout the patient’s hospital course, he maintained a state of relative bradycardia. The patient reported that he had returned from Haiti and the Dominican Republic two weeks prior to presentation in the emergency department and received several mosquito bites while abroad. Initial guideline-based empiric treatment was started with doxycycline due to suspicion of tick-borne illness, given his history of Lyme disease and his onset of symptoms while in upstate New York. Treatment was continued to complete a 14-day course after confirming the diagnosis of anaplasmosis by PCR testing of whole blood. After completing treatment with doxycycline, the patient’s symptoms resolved completely. This case illustrates a unique finding of relative bradycardia and fever of unknown origin in the context of recent international travel and history of tick-borne and arboviral infections.

 

Category:

Anaplasmosis, Heart Issues, Lyme, mosquitoes, research, Uncategorized

How Microbes Like Lyme May Trigger Alzheimer’s & Cognitive Decline

http://  Approx. 15 Min

How Microbes Like Lyme May Trigger Alzheimer’s and Cognitive Decline 

Dr. Brian Balin (PCOM)
Tick Boot Camp
Nov. 18, 2025
 
Dr. Brian J. Balin, Professor of Neuroscience and Neuropathology and Director of the Center for Chronic Disorders of Aging at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), shares how decades of research have revealed a possible infectious origin to Alzheimer’s disease.
 
His pioneering discovery that the respiratory bacterium Chlamydia pneumoniae infects brain tissue helped establish the Pathogen Hypothesis of Alzheimer’s disease.
 
His continuing work explores how tick-borne microbes—including Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease), Bartonella, and Babesia—interact with other pathogens to drive neuroinflammation and cognitive decline.
 
Dr. Balin discusses how pathogens such as Chlamydia pneumoniae, Borrelia burgdorferi, Bartonella, and Babesia have been detected in Alzheimer’s brain tissue; evidence that microbes may enter the brain through the olfactory system or blood-brain barrier, initiating inflammation, amyloid buildup, and tau pathology; and findings from his collaboration with Galaxy Diagnostics and Nicole Bell, identifying polymicrobial infections—including Babesia otocoli, a species previously thought to affect only deer—in human brain tissue.
 
He explains how 3D brain organoids and animal models reveal infection-driven neurodegeneration, why infection must be viewed as part of the exposome—the lifetime accumulation of environmental exposures—and how future treatments such as immune-modulating drugs, antimicrobials, and phage therapy could change care.
 
This episode underscores how microbes, including those transmitted by ticks, may play a significant role in neuroinflammation, cognitive decline, and Alzheimer’s disease.
 
Recorded live at the 2nd Annual Alzheimer’s Pathobiome Initiative (AlzPI) and PCOM Symposium (October 2025) at Ohio University, Dublin, Ohio.
 
Learn more at AlzPI.org. Listen to Tick Boot Camp Podcast Episode 406 “Pathobiome – Interview with Nikki Schultek” and Episode 101 “The Young Gun – Interview with Alex (Ali) Moresco” at TickBootCamp.com
 
For Dr. Balin’s publications and ongoing research, visit pcom.edu.
 
For more:

Category:

Activism, Alzheimer's, Babesia, Bartonella, Lyme, Uncategorized