General information
Dementia is a term for a psychiatric syndrome (i.e. a group of characteristic symptoms), which can have various degenerative or non-degenerative causes. The cause of many types of dementia is not yet fully understood or only superficially understood. However, with 50-60% of all dementias, Alzheimer’s dementia is the most common cause.
Dementia is ultimately characterised by an impairment of social and professional skills, which is caused by an increasing disruption of emotional, social and cognitive functions. Especially speech, motor skills, thinking and short-term memory suffer in the course of the disease. Symptoms that strongly resemble depression are usually the first signs of dementia. In later stages, personality changes and behavioural disorders are added.
Frequency of dementia
How likely it is to fall ill with one of the many forms of dementia is mainly related to age. It is known that the frequency of suffering from dementia increases with age. It is very unlikely to suffer from dementia under the age of 60. – With 65 – 69 years the probability is about 1%,
- With 76 – 79 years of age at about 6 %,
- And at 85-59 years of age at just under 24%.
First signs of dementia
Depressive moods
The first signs of dementia are often quite inconspicuous mental disorders that are very similar to depression or can hardly be distinguished from depression. These include, above all, a depressive mood that lasts for several months and is associated with increasing joylessness. Activities that used to bring joy are no longer able to do so. In the further course of the disease, the ability of the affected person to change his or her mood flattens, and a consistently depressed mood and the feeling of emotional emptiness determine the emotional experience. Likewise, the affected person increasingly lacks motivation and interest, and sleep disorders increase, which are particularly evident in early awakening despite general fatigue.
Short-term memory disorders
A clearer and very important sign of dementia is the disturbance of short-term memory. Forgetting names or dates is not uncommon. Temporary forgetfulness is particularly common with increasing age.
However, if such problems occur more frequently and even events that happened just a few minutes ago are forgotten, this can be an indication of dementia. This can lead to situations in which, for example, people not only forget that the pot is on the stove, but that cooking is taking place at all. Objects are often placed in completely inappropriate places, such as jewellery in the fridge.
At the beginning such a memory disorder is hardly noticeable to the observer. A person suffering from dementia is often able to cover up slight memory disorders well in the beginning, and therefore appears unchanged for his environment. He is particularly successful at this if he has had many social contacts in the past.
Increasingly, however, the affected person is dependent on writing notes, invents excuses for mistakes made or vehemently denies them. Little by little, memory gaps then gradually widen to include events that occurred a long time ago. and memory loss.
