Somehow Lyme Disease Could Play a Part in the Murder Charge Against Luigi Mangione

The day after Luigi Mangione was arrested in connection to the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, details about his life were splashed across the internet. Former friends of the Ivy League graduate spoke with CNN about the person they thought they knew. "I can make zero sense of it," said R.J. Martin, a friend who met him at a co-living space in Hawaii a few years prior. "It’s unimaginable."

Although there were signs that something may have been wrong, like the fact that Mangione allegedly went off the grid in the months leading up to the shooting, many people who knew him were shocked by the arrest. He was described as outgoing and socially charming by those who worked with him as a counselor at a Stanford University summer program during his college years. One theory behind Mangione's swift change in demeanor has to do with Lyme disease. Details to follow.

Apart from trying to get a sense of who Mangione is, CNN uncovered a now-deleted Reddit account that could have belonged to the data engineer. The user included information that was similar to what we later learned about Mangione, such as his chronic back pain and other health issues. "My back and hips locked up after the accident," they wrote in July 2023. "I’m terrified of the implications."

The Reddit user also revealed that they had Lyme disease, which led to "severe brain fog." It's not known when they contracted it, but it affected his sleep while rushing their fraternity. They also wrote that the brain fog adversely affected their grades. "It’s absolutely brutal to have such a life-halting issue," they wrote regarding the brain fog. "The people around you probably won’t understand your symptoms — they certainly don’t for me."

According to a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, patients with Lyme disease have a 28 percent higher rate of mental disorders, compared to individuals without the diagnosis. They are also twice as likely to attempt suicide after being infected. Brian Fallon, MD, MPH, a psychiatrist with the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University who is the lead author of the paper, said Lyme disease is much more than just a rash.

The study, conducted by Columbia University and the Copenhagen Research Centre for Mental Health, "analyzed the medical record diagnoses of nearly 7 million people living in Denmark over a 22-year period." Not only did they discover a higher suicide rate among those diagnosed, but "they also had a 42 percent higher rate of affective disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder."

For the most part, Lyme disease can be cured, but 10-20 percent of patients reported symptoms of pain, fatigue, or brain fog that lasted for months or years after being treated. Dr. Michael Benros emphasized the fact that only 7 percent of 13,000 individuals diagnosed at a hospital end up suffering from any mental disorders.