Lacks concern for privacy - is this mental illness?

Question

My 63 year old father who suffers depression has no respect for privacy. For example, our living room window that faces the street has to have the curtains tied right back and opened up like a store window display.Too bad that people walking and driving past can see right in. The same for the kitchen which faces the stairs and balcony of the neighbors two story house.

When we go out in public even though I'm right along side him he feels the need to speak out my name loudly or draw attention to us when he throws a tantrum. My mother has recently passed away and several shop keepers that I don't know from a bar of soap in both local malls know all the details and he was even getting one shop worker where we pass through all the time to help him witness death insurance and look through all the papers until I put a stop to it. He was asking the bag checker at Target for empty boxes the other day as we are moving and when they asked what for instead of saying for moving he started to say to pack my wife's things away because..until I interrupted him.

This lack of privacy is really getting to me and when we move he said he will have the new house as a fish bowl as well. :( Is his mental illness causing this? I tried to look it up in google but can't find anything.

Answer 1

I think you should seek some professional help for this. It might be a combination of depression and maybe some aging problems. I remember my late great grandmother becoming more child-like in her actions as she got older.

Answer 2

He's old. Cut him some slack or put him in a home.

Answer 3

yes the mental illness is definatly causing this. Is he bipolar? That would explain it. U probably have a life and things 2 do so u can't take care of him. Is he retired? If u should put him in a nursing home. Most of them r very nice and he will get full time help and u can vist him whenever

Answer 4

Has your father already been diagnosed with a mental illness?  If so, what is it?  I'm not a doctor / psychiatrist, so I cannot diagnose him based on the information you provided.

It seems as though he's grieving right now due to your mother passing.  Give him time to grieve.  There are steps to the grieving process.  I'm terribly sorry for your loss.  This must be a difficult time.

If the "lack of privacy" thing is getting out of control, I would try to sit him down to have a serious discussion.  Well, I wish you all the best during this transition.  Take care.

Answer 5

Maybe your father wants the sunlight and maybe he needs to talk about your mother's death. Although it is common for Americans to preserve their privacy, there are other countries where people have no qualms about having their drapes pulled back. I am not sure it is a sign of mental illness but you can see that your father is behaving differently than before and you are worried, of course. Maybe you should speak to his doctor.  

Answer 6

It could be senility if it just started. Otherwise it's just his personality.

Answer 7

First of all, I am truly sorry for your loss and then your Dad's problems on top of it. As for the curtains being open, I have mine drawn back as I love the view and the sunlight. It sounds like the two of you simply have different opinions on that subject. Unless this is a new behavoir. Is he obsessive about it? Is it a compulsion? A good look at his baseline("normal") behavoir answers that easily enough. The fact that he's openly sharing this personal info with so many others could be his way of grieving or something more problematic. You said that you don't know the people he's talking to. Does he? I see a common thread in the curtains open and talking to people. He's being extremely open. Is that normal for him? Or is he normally very private? It's important to do a comparative study so you know if he is acting in character or not. The public tantrums you mentioned could be a sign of early onset of dimentia. Is this a new behavoir? If he has in fact been diagnosed with depression these behavoirs could be a sign of mania which would qualify him as bipolar.(Previously known as manic-depressive). There is no way to give you a responsible and definitive answer in this setting. Even for a psychiatrist. I am just trying to give you some things to think about. If he has been diagnosed with depression by a professional, talk to him/her about this. It sounds like you have his best interest at heart and just sticking him in a home will probably make you feel negligent, selfish, cold, and guilty. This could be very complex or very simple. I can't give you any definitive answers. A good resource is the Council on Aging. They can be found in your local phone book in the "Community Resources" section. If I can be of any help, please don't hesitate to e-mail me. God bless and good luck.