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Better Health
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia, damages parts of the brain involved in memory, intelligence, judgment, language, and behavior. Almost half of people afflicted with Alzheimer’s are between 75 and 85, although a rare, inherited form of the disease can affect people in their 40s. While the loss of cognitive ability is irreversible, the rate of disease progression varies by individual.
Is It Alzheimer’s? Probably Not
If you forget to pick up your dry cleaning once or twice, it’s unlikely that dementia is around the corner (although your favorite silk dress may be). Letting a few errands slip isn’t a sure sign of the disease. Really important symptoms include loss of control over speech, trouble completing simple tasks like balancing a checkbook, and confusion about where you are. In fact, your memory losses may simply be due to a shortage of vitamin B12. According to Harvard research, a deficiency can produce symptoms similar to dementia and Alzheimer’s. There’s plenty of the vitamin in meats, chicken, fish, dairy products, and fortified breakfast cereal.
Still worried? Consider talking to a therapist if you’re superanxious about memory loss. A study by the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center in Chicago found that people plagued by worry, anxiety, or depression are more prone to developing a condition that’s a precursor to Alzheimer’s.
If you forget to pick up your dry cleaning once or twice, it’s unlikely that dementia is around the corner (although your favorite silk dress may be). Letting a few errands slip isn’t a sure sign of the disease. Really important symptoms include loss of control over speech, trouble completing simple tasks like balancing a checkbook, and confusion about where you are. In fact, your memory losses may simply be due to a shortage of vitamin B12. According to Harvard research, a deficiency can produce symptoms similar to dementia and Alzheimer’s. There’s plenty of the vitamin in meats, chicken, fish, dairy products, and fortified breakfast cereal.
Still worried? Consider talking to a therapist if you’re superanxious about memory loss. A study by the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center in Chicago found that people plagued by worry, anxiety, or depression are more prone to developing a condition that’s a precursor to Alzheimer’s.
How Is Depression in the Elderly Different From Dementia?
There's no single test that can differentiate depression from dementia. But some behavior clues may help the doctor make an educated assessment.
"Alzheimer's disease and depression are probably related in ways we don't understand," says Brent Forester, MD, director of the mood disorders divison in the geriatric psychiatry research program at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass. "Forty to 50% of people with Alzheimer's disease get depression, but depression also may be a risk factor for Alzheimer's."
"Alzheimer's disease and depression are probably related in ways we don't understand," says Brent Forester, MD, director of the mood disorders divison in the geriatric psychiatry research program at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass. "Forty to 50% of people with Alzheimer's disease get depression, but depression also may be a risk factor for Alzheimer's."
Here is how geriatric psychiatrists tell the two conditions apart.
- Memory: People who are depressed may have trouble concentrating. They may even suffer occasional memory lapses, which can make their mood worse. But people with Alzheimer's disease consistently have trouble storing new information, such as the recent visit of a close relative or what they ate for dinner. They may not remember eating dinner at all.
- Orientation: Most people who are depressed generally know with whom they're speaking, what time and day it is, and where they are. People with dementia tend to be confused about some or all of this.
- Language use: Depressed people use language properly, although they may speak slowly at times. People who are demented because of Alzheimer's disease or strokes often have lots of language problems. Particularly hard: remembering the names of common objects such as "pen" or "lamp" or "birthday cake."
- Use of familiar objects: Again, not a problem for people with depression. Someone with dementia may not recall how to get a pullover sweater on, for example. This is called apraxia—trouble remembering how to perform previously learned and routine motor activities.
- Negativity: Depressed people have a general tendency to put a negative spin on events. For example, if asked to take a test designed to screen for depression or Alzheimer's, they may jump to the conclusion that they did quite badly, and they often overestimate the problem. In contrast, someone with dementia may try to fabricate some story or excuse for a memory lapse or poor performance on a memory test.
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Alzheimer's disease is a progressive condition that damages areas of the brain involved in memory, intelligence, judgment, language, and behavior. It is the most common form of mental decline, or dementia, in older adults. (Suu tam)
