My wife's Neurologist recommended a Psychiatrist-Experiences?

It seems your thinking and intuition on this is correct. How you manage multiple providers is another story.
If you go to Midas, you'll get a muffler. When you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
Keep going until it feels "right" to you. Stay respectful of the docs.

I would recommend asking direct questions and reasons why it is necessary for your wife to be taking meds.Get a second opinion if you choose. Write down in a diary of daily habits ,her reaction and how she responds. Write down questions you have for the physician. When us as caregivers are stressed or frustrated we tend to forget get the one question or questions. Be respectful . Ultimately you are her person. 🫂

@gl66: I'm so sorry to hear you and your wife are going through such an emotionally fraught time right now.

You've said she's been having trouble using the right words and having difficulty communicating - from my understanding of what you wrote, this is impeding her ability to adequately relay her situation to doctors. It appears this is leaving her feeling very frustrated. irritable, anxious, depressed and agitated. Those symptoms may have led the hospitalist who evaluated her to provide an initial diagnosis that may not adequately reflect the degree of symptoms she's been experiencing. There are other conditions that can lead to such behaviors.

I'm wondering if the neurologist may have recommended a neuropsychologist as opposed to a psychiatrist for further evaluation? A neuropsychologist uses assessment tools in addition to interviewing and detailed history of the patient, such as testing to evaluate cognitive, emotional or behavioral disorders in order to more closely hone in on the proper diagnosis and treatment.

Would you be able to ask the neurologist if this type of assessment, by a neuropsychologist, is what what he or she had in mind or if it ought to be considered for your wife?

Please see my reply below - Ellen

Based on what you've described, I think getting a second opinion would be a good idea.
First, what is concerning is that the psychiatrist spent so little time with your wife and jumped to an Alzheimer's diagnosis as if it were nothing.

You are right to question things. Has she had specific tests for Alz, beyond just a general dementia diagnosis?

Regarding the therapy, Depakote can be used to help manage some symptoms of dementia, but it can also cause tiredness and sleeping problems, especially at the beginning of therapy.

And for Seroquel, it is used for agitation or sleep problems, but it sounds like it's not effective in her case.

The neurologist referred to a psychiatrist, probably because he could add a new medication for sleep. It is a common practice, but the way they diagnosed her in the first place isn't right, so everything after that is just guessing. It is not a thorough approach, and that is why I recommended getting a second opinion.

Thanks for your input. I'm totally frustrated with her (lack of) care down this path. Hopefully the psychiatrist can add some clarity.

I'm not a doctor but I have opinions based on my own experience with my husband, who suffers from Alzheimer's. One reason I know it's Alzheimer's, aside from the myriad symptoms, is the brain scan we were shown that has a large area that is basically empty. I can't interpret scans, but I could see the area in question and it definitely didn't look normal. That being said, I'm not at all confident that any medication will be of much use, certainly not as a cure. My husband takes memantine, which doesn't seem to do much, but I guess it makes him feel that he's doing something. I'm learning to deal with the symptoms and behaviors that are more annoying than anything. Don't correct, redirect. If it's not dangerous, let him do it. Praise when he accomplishes some small task. Lots of hugs and assurances of affection. When you can't fix something, the best thing to do is manage it--and yourself--as best you can. Have friends you can vent your feelings with honestly.

@gl66 I agree with @grammato3 that a thorough evaluation will provide you with more information. A neuropsychologist (Ph.D. And licensed in psychology) does this type of testing. However, neuropsychologists are often fully booked and sometimes it is a long wait for an appointment.

In what region, state, or province do you live? There are specialized Memory Diagnostic Centers all over North America. Many times this Memory Diagnostic Centers are found within an academic medical center at a university. Here are some examples below.

Wisconsin Alzheimer Institute Affiliated Dementia Diagnostic Clinics:

— https://wai.wisc.edu/clinic-network/

Mayo Clinic Affiliated Memory Care Clinic in Eau Claire, Wisconsin:

— https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/locations/eau-claire/services-and-treatments/psychiatry-and-psychology/memory-care-clinic

University of Michigan Cognitive Disorders Program:

— https://www.uofmhealth.org/conditions-treatments/brain-neurological-conditions/dementia-and-alzheimers

The above are example of multidisciplinary clinics. Might you and your wife be interested in this kind of evaluation?

@gl66
Have you thought about seeing a speech pathologist.
Jake

I lost most of my cognitive ability three days after the 2nd dose of the COVID shot. I started with terrible brain fog and my mind was so messed up plus I was falling asleep the time. I went to a Neurologist who had more than a few scans taken. She didn't anything in the scans so sent me to neuropsychologist. They tested me all day. They said my IQ has dropped 20 points and said pretty much I had early onset dementia. Two years went by and nothing improved. Then I had a terrible heart attack. The Cardiologist four months earlier said my heart was very strong as you could see it on a monitor. No matter how much I argued that I had swelling in my lower legs, trouble breathing, and cognitive decline to where I was having night seizures and brain zaps, he put me on the treadmill which is old technology and only 60 percent accurate. I was 65 years old and had been sick now for two years. Then the heart attack came. I had a STEMI which is the worst heart attack you could have. Four stents were needed in my Coronary Arteries. It's two years, four years since this all started and I did major heart damage. Their went my life. Medicine is what's keeping me alive. All of the doctors missed what was wrong. I went back last week to see my old friend the neurologist. My brain has gotten worse and she asked if I wanted to see a psychiatrist?? I can't drive, my mind still goes dark to where I get very dizzy. I just wanted to know if she thought I did have dementia. She said well, we didn't see much on the scans. I looked at her and got up and walked out. My last tests showed severe stenosis in my Renal and Celiac Arteries. My cardiologist said my body was to weak to work on due to the heart attack. The COVID shot, where all of this crap started is still a no no to talk about. Yes, I can believe your wife's nurolgist did say psychiatrist. I understand her pain. I don't understand a lot of doctors.