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When Dementia Strikes at an Early Age

 

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Most of us expect that as we get older (beyond our 60s, 70s, 80s) there will be issues with cognitive abilities such as memory as well as physical problems as well. We learn more everyday about medical diagnoses such as dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Parkinson’s.   However there are a number of serious disorders that can occur due to disease and brain injury that cause problems in early and midlife stages of our development.  “Young-onset dementia is a particularly disheartening diagnosis because it affects individuals in the prime years,” Dr. David S. Knopman, a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., wrote in a July 2021 editorial in JAMA Neurology. Many of the afflicted are in their 40s and 50s, midcareer, hardly ready to retire and perhaps still raising a family.  Dementia in a younger adult is especially traumatic and challenging for families to acknowledge, and many practicing physicians fail to recognize it or even suspect it may be an underlying cause of symptoms.”  These  early onset problems are listed as:  vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body disease (think of Robin Williams), early onset Alzheimer’s Disease, as well as brain injury (soccer, football, boxing) as well as other serious aging processes.  The article explains the symptoms and how each of the disorders adversely affects the brain.

This article is a great source for psychology students who study the neurobiological basis of behavior, abnormal psychology, and aging.  Psychologists are always part of the treatment teams for these serious disorders. 

 

SOURCE

New York Times, January 17, 2022, by Jane E. Brody

 

LINK TO RESOURCE

(Tiny URL)  https://tinyurl.com/ek29y9vx

 

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

•How does early onset dementia create a different type of crisis than late onset dementia?

•What are the characteristics and symptoms of the early onset of the disorders and diseases listed in the article?

•What is the concern regarding sports such as soccer, football, and boxing?  What measure can be taken to prevent brain injuries?

•How would a Psychologist fit in with the treatment team for an individual experiencing early onset dementia?

 

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