What is Alzheimer’s Disease?
By Srishti Agrawal, Clinical Psychologist
It is a mental health and neurodegenerative condition. Memory loss is among the first symptoms reported by patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and by their caretakers. People with Alzheimer’s also undergo behavior and personality changes. Alzheimer’s is also known as “dementia” due to associated changes in thinking, remembering, reasoning, and behavior.
Types of Alzheimer’s Disease
- Early-Onset: It is a very rare type & signs first appear between a person’s 30s and mid-60s.
- Late-Onset: It is the most common type & sign that first appears in a person’s mid-60s.
Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease
People with this disease gradually become worse with time.
- Early-stage: Begin to experience memory loss and other cognitive impairments. The diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is often made at this stage.
- Middle-stage: People at this stage may have more confusion and trouble recognizing family and friends.
- Late-stage: Completely dependent on others for care, and may become bedridden as the body shuts down.
Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer’s
- Memory Changes, including Trouble in word-finding, forgetfulness, inability to be aware of the space around them, impaired reasoning, impaired judgment, problems in speech comprehension, trouble in expressing thoughts or participating in conversations, inability to maintain attention and concentration, trouble in calculations, handling money and paying bills.
- Behavioral and personality changes, including Repeating questions, taking longer to complete normal daily tasks, losing or misplacing things, wandering and getting lost, increased anxiety and depression, increased irritability and aggression, social isolation, mood swings, changes in sleeping patterns, hallucinations and delusions and other mood and personality changes.
Causes Of Alzheimer’s
- Aging: Risks like shrinking, and breakdown of energy within cells may harm neurons and thus, increase the risk of Alzheimer’s.
- Genetics: The risk of developing the disease is higher if inherited from their biological parents or first-degree relatives.
- Environmental factors: such as exposure to pollutants increase the risk of developing the disease.
- Health and Lifestyle: Research has shown that poor sleep patterns, excessive drug and alcohol consumption, and heart and other physical illnesses play a significant role.
How MindPlus Helps You
If you feel that any of your dear and near ones are suffering from such symptoms you can then visit at MindPlus in Punjab for further clarification. With the help of a team of psychiatrists and psychologists there, the quality of life of both patients with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers can be enhanced or restored by helping them significantly from medications that can reduce their anxiety or agitation along with psychotherapies and coping strategies to manage behavioral symptoms.