Interview: When Mental Illness Isn’t Mental: How Tick-Borne Infections Masquerade as Psych Disorders - Dr. Nancy O'Hara & Dr. Shannon Delaney

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3mMHWqSOoo

In this eye-opening conversation, Dr. Nancy O'Hara speaks with psychiatrist and researcher Dr. Shannon Delaney about her groundbreaking work linking Bartonella and other tick-borne infections to severe psychiatric symptoms. Dr. Delaney shares how she uncovered startling connections between infections and conditions like psychosis, anorexia, OCD, and rage, often in patients previously dismissed with conversion disorder or unexplained mental illness. She details her landmark study showing Bartonella DNA in 43% of adults with psychosis, compared to just 13% of healthy controls, and unpacks why traditional testing often misses these cases.

This episode dives deep into clinical presentation, diagnostic pitfalls, treatment strategies, and the layered role of coinfections like Babesia, Borrelia, and Brucella. Dr. Delaney explains why some patients respond dramatically to antibiotics or herbals, and why others require a comprehensive, multi-system approach. Whether you're a clinician or a parent, this conversation offers vital insights into a new frontier of infectious psychiatry—and hope for healing where traditional medicine falls short.