ABSTRACT
Detecting the presence of dementia can be difficult and challenging, particularly in the early stages of the disorder. Alterations in emotional state occur commonly in dementia and can include numerous disturbances, including depression, anxiety, change in personality, and unusual passivity or irritability. A history of cognitive and movement disorders in parents and siblings is an important aspect of the evaluation since many dementias are either clearly hereditary or strongly influenced by genetic factors. Depression is often misidentified as dementia, and dementia can be mistaken for depression. The possibility that a seemingly demented person might be depressed is important to consider, particularly since many people in the early stages of dementia are themselves depressed. The finding that abnormalities in the electroencephalograph (EEG) correlate with the severity of the dementia in Alzheimer’s diseaseis interesting but does not justify the use of EEG in the regular evaluation of persons with cognitive disorder.
