Microbes and Mental Illness

Tick-borne infections result in multisystemic illness, but the most prominent symptoms are musculoskeletal and neurological. In the latter category, neuropsychiatric symptoms often overshadow the clinical picture. This often results in patients being diagnosed with a primary psychiatric condition, and the underlying infections are not addressed. It is imperative that clinicians learn to recognize when neuropsychiatric complaints are generated by these organic issues. This lecture details the manifestations of microbe-induced neuropsychiatric disorders, with emphasis on their autoimmune pathophysiology.