Alzheimer’s and Dementia: the Details (1)

The name “dementia” refers to a category of illnesses and conditions that involve the human brain; often characterized by the brain dysfunctions they cause, dementias steadily deprive their victims of memories and even the most common skills, causing them to give up their independence and rely, more and more, upon family and friends even for the simplest tasks. The most general and well-known form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease; a condition which is believed to effect 4-5 million people in the United States alone.

Defined as a progressive brain dysfunction, one of the most universal symptoms of dementia is the state of confusion, which it forms in its victims. Even the word ’dementia’ means ’irrationality’ in Latin and this goes a long way in explaining the frustration, unpredictability and unreasonable behavior those suffering from dementia commonly express. In many cases, during the earlier stages of the disease, it will often cause the patient to become estranged from his or her family; ironic considering that, in most cases, they will sooner or later become solely dependant upon those they have ignored.

Dementia is not easy to diagnose. Throughout life, we experience short periods of memory loss; forgetting names, directions, or that strange feeling when one steps into a room and suddenly forgets what they went in there for. Even at a young age, we experience this and, quite generally, this is considered to be simply a sign of growing older when it occurs with greater frequency. Throughout the years, it has become the belief that, as one ages, we simply tend to forget things.

Naturally, seeing as how dementia occurs gradually, for the most part, it is difficult to spot in its earliest stages. Quite regularly, it isn’t until more severe symptoms occur that it is really attributed to a form of dementia. Even after that, doctors are usually only able to identify “possible” or “probable” cases of dementia, particularly when dealing with Alzheimer’s disease. In case of most forms of dementia, a diagnosis must be determined based on a behavior study, rather than any exact testing; an EEG, brain scan, or tests involving other laboratory instruments cannot verify dementia. In many cases, the only true way of getting an explicit diagnosis is to carry out an autopsy after the person has passed away.