However, some experts worry about such an early-stage diagnosis, suggesting it may result in overdiagnosis. Of course, mood swings as you age aren’t an automatic indicator that dementia is on the horizon. The mild behavioral impairment diagnosis requires symptoms to last for at least six months and be a fundamental change, according to Ismail. Autopsies even show these types of patients had much more brain damage, he noted. Zahinoor Ismail, a neuropsychiatrist at the University of Calgary and one of the researchers involved with the new diagnosis. Full-blown dementia approaches much more quickly when someone has mild cognitive impairment alongside mood or behavior changes. In fact, identifying major behavioral changes as early signs of dementia is crucial. The latter was established over 10 years ago for those with some cognitive issues but who can still perform most day-to-day tasks. Under the proposal, the mild behavioral impairment assessment and diagnosis would come before mild cognitive impairment. She wasn’t involved in creating the checklist or proposing the new diagnosis, but she asserts years of research have proven Alzheimer’s affects behavior alongside memory. “I think we do need something like this,” Nina Silverberg, director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Centers program at the National Institute on Aging, told The New York Times. – Does she/he have unrealistic beliefs about her/his power, wealth or skills? – Does the person lack the social judgment she/he previously had about what to say or how to behave in public or private? – Has she/he become unreasonably or uncharacteristically argumentative? – Has the person become more anxious or worried about things that are routine? – Does she/he no longer care about anything? This serves to help identify people at greater risk for Alzheimer’s disease. The potential diagnosis is called “mild behavioral impairment,” preceding memory and thinking problems that go hand-in-hand with dementia. Changes like persistent social withdrawal, angry outbursts and anxiety accompany it.Īlong with this new diagnosis, a group of neuropsychiatrists and other experts proposed a 34-question checklist. In recent years, researchers have focused on the ways certain behavioral changes may act as early warnings signs for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Occasional forgetfulness can often be written off as “senior moments,” but consistent changes in behavior may actually be the first signs of dementia.
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