TITLE

ANXIETY IN MIDDLE AGE LINKED TO DEMENTIA IN NEW STUDY

DESCRIPTION

In a recent study, researchers were interested in whether there was a link between anxiety (moderate to severe) and later life symptoms of dementia.  “Moderate to severe anxiety was found to be linked with the onset of dementia in later life. While feeling anxious in appropriate situations is normal, anxiety disorders are characterized by such feelings debilitating a person’s life.”  It is important to note that this is a correlational study as indicated by the next quotation:

   “The team behind the study, published in the journal BMJ Open believe that the stress response anxiety causes in the body could make brain cells age faster, and trigger degenerative changes in the central nervous system. In turn, this could make a person more vulnerable to developing dementia. They were not able to find a direct causal link, however.” 

 (This article can be used with chapters on aging and abnormal behavior/psychopathology.)

SOURCE

Newsweek, May 1, 2018, by  Kashmira Gander

LINK TO RESOURCE

http://www.newsweek.com/anxiety-middle-age-linked-dementia-new-study-906660

(Tiny URL)  http://tinyurl.com/yc9hrj4b

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

•What are the symptoms of anxiety as discussed in the article?

•What are the symptoms of dementia as discussed in the article?

•Though the article clearly states that there was not found “a direct causal link,” what do the researchers hypothesize regarding how anxiety and dementia are related?

•Use the study to discuss the issues of research using correlational and findings in Psychology.