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- Diagnosis of dementia
To download this document- A diagnosis of dementia / Emotional support / More about dementia
A diagnosis of dementia
Although dementia is a condition which gradually gets worse, it does not mean that you cannot lead an enjoyable life or that you will suddenly have to move into a care home or be dependent on others. People have dementia over a period of years and can still have an active and enjoyable life. You are the same person you were before you received the diagnosis of dementia. How fast dementia progresses will depend on the individual. Each person is different, so no two people with dementia will experience it in the same way. The important thing is that you are not alone and you are not helpless. There are people to help and support you.
Emotional support
People react differently to being diagnosed with dementia. It is perfectly normal to feel shock, fear or anger; and even all three. Some people may prefer to keep the diagnosis private but it is good to talk to people you trust. This could be your family, friends or GP or even the memory service staff who diagnosed you. Give yourself time to come to terms with the diagnosis. This will help. You might find it useful to make a list of questions, particularly if there is something you are unsure of or want to know more about.Reading this guide with someone else may be helpful. It might help clarify things for you but also inform the people you know about dementia.If you are reading this guide but do not have a diagnosis of dementia, please read the “Are you worried about your memory” guide, which will help you if you are concerned you might have dementia.
More about dementia
The word 'dementia' is used to describe a group of symptoms that occur when the brain is affected by specific diseases and conditions. The most common dementias are:
· Alzheimer’s disease;A German neurologist called Alois Alzheimer discovered ‘plaques’ and ‘tangles’ which had developed in the structure of the brain and resulted in brain cell death. When this happens, atrophy or shrinkage can usually be seen on brain scans. People with Alzheimer’s disease are also believed to have a shortage of some brain chemicals, which are responsible for the transmission of messages around the brain.
· Vascular dementia;Brains cells need a good supply of blood to remain healthy. The blood supply is called the vascular system. In vascular dementia, this supply can be cut off and lead to the death of brain cells. There are two main types of vascular dementia; one caused by stroke and the other by small vessel disease. Strokes are interruptions to the blood supply of the brain causing permanent damage. The part of the brain the stroke is in makes a difference to the symptoms people have. A single stroke is known as single infarct dementia and several strokes are known as multi-infarct dementia. Multi-infarcts can be very small and barely noticeable to people. The second type is small vessel disease which is caused by damage to tiny blood vessels deep in the brain. These symptoms tend to occur more gradually.The vascular system can be damaged or made worse by high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease so it is important to identify and treat these conditions as early as possible.
· Mixed dementias;Mixed dementia means having both Alzheimer’s disease and a vascular dementia.
· Lewy Body dementia;Fredrick Lewy identified abnormal, tiny, spherical protein deposits in brain cells. These are known as Lewy bodies. They are believed to interrupt important chemical messengers in the brain. People with Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease can also have these Lewy bodies present and therefore can share similar symptoms. This can make a diagnosis of Lewy body dementia more difficult. It is not known exactly why Lewy bodies occur.
· Dementia in Parkinson’s disease;The causes of dementia in Parkinson’s disease are not yet fully understood. People who have dementia in Parkinson’s disease have been found to have Lewy bodies in their brain and there are similarities with Lewy body dementia. This affects about 15-30% of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
· Fronto-temporal dementia:People diagnosed with Fronto-temporal dementia were originally said to have Pick’s disease. Pick’s disease was identified by Alois Alzheimer and named after his colleague and friend Arnold Pick, who had studied people with this disease. Fronto-temporal dementia actually covers several conditions: Picks disease, frontal lobe degeneration and dementia associated with Motor neurone disease. All of these conditions cause damage to the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. It is a less common form of dementia and often seen in younger people (under 65). Fronto-temporal dementia affects language skills, emotional responses and behaviour.
Whilst these types of dementia have slightly different presentations and can affect people in different ways, there are similar difficulties that people with dementia experience. The next section describes these.
