Dementia

Diagnosing the specific diseases that cause dementia can be difficult because of the number of potential causes, overlapping symptoms, and current technological limitations. Many diseases can not yet be definitively diagnosed without an autopsy. Declining abilities of the patient, and fear of what might lie ahead may also delay diagnosis. Many other highly treatable disorders (e.g., depression, malnutrition, drug reactions, or thyroid problems), however, can mimic the symptoms of dementia. Thus, a complete and thorough evaluation is important in order to understand the nature of a person's illness; whether the condition can be treated and or reversed; the extent of the impairment; the areas in which a person may still function successfully; whether the person has other health problems that need treatment; the social and psychological needs and resources of the patient and family; and the changes which might be expected in the future (Mace and Rabins 1999).