Ask a doctor on the topic of Neurology

Pituitary adenoma - Crucial for mental disorders?

October 28, 2013 | 20,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

Approximately 2.5 years ago, a pituitary adenoma was diagnosed in me after an MRI examination. For some time now, approximately 1 to 1.5 years, I have had the feeling of doing things that I have not done before or that are not normally done. I think I may have a mental disorder because I could be suffering from a loss of reality and see many things as indifferent or not serious, which would be serious for other people, at least in their eyes. In general, I wonder if the pituitary adenoma could be responsible for the lack of guilt and leading to a certain loss of reality. Are such mental disorders, in my opinion, attributable to the adenoma, so could this be the case, or can mental disorders in general be ruled out with this adenoma and have another cause. Which specialist would be the right one for this? No medication has been prescribed for this yet. Thank you for your response.

Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

Good evening,

In no way is the pituitary adenoma to blame for this emotional state. It can cause vision and hormonal disorders, but not such emotional disturbances, as these arise in completely different areas of the brain that are not close to the pituitary gland.

Therefore, this symptomatology should be clarified by a psychiatrist; that is the neurologist responsible for mental changes and who can find out exactly what is behind your altered feelings.

You can find a well-rated psychiatrist in your area at www.jameda.de.

I wish you all the best!

Sincerely, Dr. Frauke Höllering