“Can depression lead to dementia?”
My mother has been living with depression for the last 3 months after my father passed away. However, lately she is also acting differently and ends up screaming all of a sudden. It's disturbing. Is it dementia? Can this be due to depression?
10 Answers
I believe it could be anxiety. Depression can lead to many things. Try to create plans for her day to try to get her out of that mood
Yes it can be due to depression. The best way to tell, is to have your mother seen by a psychiatrist for a full evaluation to make the determination. Her suffering may get worst if not treated. If you mother is over 65, she will want to be seen by a Geriatric Psychiatrist. As with any health care professional, it is important to get a referral from a trusted medical professional.
Depression does not lead to dementia. However, untreated depression can interfere with memory and can become serious. Is she eating and sleeping well? Please have her see a geriatric psychiatrist for a full evaluation. This is not something to ignore as “just a passing thing”. If she is currently on medications, she might need a second opinion as medications for depression affect older people differently and she might be having an adverse reaction. She would probably also benefit from speaking to a psychotherapist about her grief. This can be very helpful to an older person who may not wish to “burden “ her children.
Nancy J Warren, PhD
Nancy J Warren, PhD
There may be more than one reason causing your mother's problems. Changes in hormone levels, poor nutrition, oxygen deprivation, depression, brain trauma, stroke, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, and neurocognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease are among the more common causes for memory loss. Easily reversible is memory loss caused by depression. Often, after appropriate treatment and a return to normal mood, the individual finds that memory functioning is restored. It's important to have your mother evaluated by a doctor, a neurologist for testing, a psychiatrist for medication if needed and a geriatric psychologist for treatment. The sooner she is evaluated, the sooner she can start treatment.
Good luck,
Dr. Natalie L. Winters, Licensed Psychologist
Good luck,
Dr. Natalie L. Winters, Licensed Psychologist
Go to this link - I believe it will answer your question....
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29023080
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29023080
That’s possible but dementia is a different condition than depression and so is not affiliated with that.
Dementia can co-exist with depression - and, I have seen, sometimes seems to be triggered by depression. However, in cases I have seen, I believe there were signs of dementia earlier, and the full-blown crescendo of such symptoms takes off at full speed after a major loss. But the most important thing to attend to now is the symptoms you are seeing. Your mother needs a full evaluation from a team of physicians and psychologists.
Depression can increase a person's likelihood of developing dementia. But dementia develops gradually over time. If you have not noticed changes in your mother's cognitive functioning or personality previous to the loss of your father, her screaming is likely part of her grieving process. She may be screaming in despair or anger for example. You can consider expressing to her that you are concerned about her well being and suggesting she seek out help and support from a mental health professional in dealing with this devastating loss.
Depression, from loss or injury, that has lasted a lifetime could possibly lead to dementia if it never gets processed. Depression that has lasted a shorter time and is based in loss can be transcended with problem-solving and modification of expectations. When we get older, multitasking is not so good. Memory for names of people and things and dates can begin to escape us. These are traits of depression too. I don't know if they interact or could be mistaken one for the other. I say, lighten your load and practice focusing as much as you can when act.
People who suffer from depression are prone to show earlier signs of the kinds of dementia that often come with normal aging. However, sudden screaming and other relatively abrubt personality changes merit a thorough medical exam. These are not typical either of the gradual decreases in mental functioning that we call dementia or of depression.
