[minutemaid_help]

(I posted this on the ASK part of the site to the therapists, but thought I'd post here to see what your thoughts are on these symptoms)

Hello,
I moved home several years ago and the main bathroom is right outside my bedroom door.

I noticed in 2010 that my dad (age 63 now) would occasionally walk into the bathroom, turn on the fan, and says "whats up?" to no one in particular. I didn't really pay much mind to it, I just found it annoying, i imagined he was looking at himself in the mirror and saying it.

However as time has gone on, the things he says in the bathroom have progressed -

"What's up?'
"What's going on?"
"How's it goin' honey?"
"Are you okay?"

Then one day I heard this go on for about 30 seconds...
"Are you okay? I'm okay. Are you okay? I'm okay. Are you okay? I'm okay. Whats up? Whats up?"

I didn't think it could get worse than that but it did.
Just in the past 6 months I head him say the following.

"Son. of. a. *****." repeated 7 times in monotone(he doesn't swear, ever)

this 5-10 second outburst as he got out of the shower was particularly frightening to me (baby sounding voice).

"Are you there mommy? I'm here mommy. Where are you mommy?"

And the last particular outburst was just him saying this once:
"Mommy?"

These are all done in the bathroom with the fan on - I don't know if he thinks we can't hear him, or what.

I was a Psych minor, but I only took one class in abnormal psychology - I initially thought this was schizophrenia, but recently thought it could be dissociation identity disorder. I talked to my mom about it a year ago, and she said she had noticed, but wasn't overly concerned.

However, I'm moving out in the next couple months, and I'm afraid this will continue progressing more rapidly and I don't want her to be in any danger, or anything.

Is this something to confront him about? Or, any idea what this disorder might be?

(updated: I spoke to my mom about it just now, and she said its been going on for 10 years or so, but that it used to be, "Where's *mom's name*?" or while in the car, "Let's go", or strings of profanity repeated a few times. But always in the bathroom, or the car. She said she thought it was Tourette syndrome.)

[optimize990h]

Hello minutemaid_help! Welcome to PsychCentral!

I do not know whether your father can be assessed by a pdoc(will it be easy to set up an appt and ensure he will go to the appt). I suppose his gp could do a referral to pdoc. But we should see what other PC members can advise.

Take care.

[~Christina]

Could be a Psych problem or early onset Dementia, or a host of all kinds of things.. Probably best place to start would be his primary car Doctor. I'm sure this is very unsettling, Hope you are able to find some answers.

[IceCreamKid]

You might try asking your father directly. I wouldn't act alarmed or annoyed, just mildly curious and see what his reply is.

I talk to myself and have done for probably the last 8-10 years, since my child was old enough to leave the house in the evening, and I would be all alone with just the cat. I talked to the cat at first but now I just talk out loud, as if to another person, but really I am just voicing my thoughts aloud. I get tired of the silence in my house and I get lonely sometimes. I don't do it all the time, and it does seem to relieve my stress.

Your dad might welcome talking to you about what he is doing, or maybe not. But you won't know until you make the attempt to talk to him about it.

[minutemaid_help]

Thanks for the input everyone.
Approaching him would be simpler if we had a good relationship but we don't. I'll talk to my mom again and see if she can get him to visit the doctor or ask him about it.