Overview

Dementia is a neuropsychological syndrome. Most of these syndromes include symptoms that are similar to those that occur in schizophrenia, mood disorders and certain Axis II personality disorders, but they tend to affect the underlying brain pathology. This varies tremendously depending upon the resultant brain disease or the withdrawal of a chemical substance on which a person becomes psychologically dependent. The age of onset of dementia is after 15 years.

Types of dementias:

Senile dementias: These are cognitive disorders that are related to the degeneration of the brain and tend to occur in old age.

Presenile dementias: These are a number of rare conditions that are the outcome of degenerative changes in the brain tissue at an earlier stage in life.

Dementia: Features

The disease is marked by the progressive deterioration of brain functioning that mostly occurs after the brain has fully matured.

In the initial stages of the disease, the individual is alert and well versed with the events in the environment.

Episodic memory or the memory for events and the memory for recent events is typically affected.

Semantic memory or memory for language and concepts may or may not be affected.

The person is unable to recall himself/herself in various aspects related to time, space as well as relation to other individuals.

Dementia is characterized by increasingly marked deterioration in abstract thought pattern, the attainment of fresh knowledge or skills, visiospatial comprehension, motor control, judgment and problem solving.

The thought pattern becomes foggy, sluggish and inaccurate and the person may lose the ability to plan or to understand various concepts. Many a times he/she is unable to extract even the simplest of information.

Personality deterioration and loss of motivation also demoralize the individual.

The individual exhibits emotional over reactivity and easy arousal to laughter, tears, rage and other extreme emotions. He/she may also lose emotional stability in moral and ethical matters.

Causes of Dementia:

Dementia may be progressive or static. Occasionally it is even reversible. Its course depends to a large extent on its underlying causes. The factors causing dementia are many and varied. They include:

Degenerative processes that normally affect older individuals.

Repeated cardiovascular dysfunctions such as heart attack or strokes.

Infectious diseases such as syphilis, meningitis and AIDS may also lead to the development of this disorder.

Dietary deficiencies also contribute to the development of dementia.

Repeated or severe head injury.

Anoxia or the lack of oxygen may also cause dementia.

Ingestion or inhalation of toxic substances.

Treatment:

There is no sure shot cure for dementia but psychological, medical and rehabilitative treatments aimed at replenishing or preserving the brain ACh known to produce a prolonged reversal or interruption of the deteriorating course are administered. Behavior therapy is applied to treat the various behavioral problems that accompany the disorder. Drugs that enhance the brain Ach are administered.