Cognitive Disorders and Aging PSY 436 Instructor: Emily E. Bullock, Ph.D.

Cognitive Disorders and Aging Delirium Dementia Mental Health Issues and Aging

Delirium Disturbance of consciousness with reduced ability to focus, sustain, or shift attention Change in cognition The disturbance develops over a short period of time and tends to fluctuate during the course of a day Evidence from the history that the disturbance is caused by the direct physical consequence of a general medical condition Can be superimposed on dementia Can be due to substance intoxication or withdrawal

Dementia Development of multiple cognitive deficits manifested by both Memory impairment One of more of the following cognitive disturbances Aphasia Apraxia Agnosia Disturbance in executive functioning Cognitive deficits listed above cause significant impairment and represent a significant decline from a previous level of functioning

Types of Dementia Dementia of the Alzheimer’s type Vascular Dementia Substance-induced persisting dementia Dementia due to HIV disease Head trauma Parkinson’s disease Huntington’s disease Pick’s disease Cruetuzfeldt-Jakob disease Other general medical conditions

Dementia Dementia of the Alzheimer’s type Vascular Dementia Diagnosis of exclusion Tends to have a gradual course Vascular Dementia Neurological signs and laboratory evidence of vascular disease Course is variable and tends to be step wise in progression

Pet Scan of Normal Brain Images of Alzheimer’s Disease From Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral Center, a service of the National Institute on Aging."                                  Pet Scan of Normal Brain Pet Scan of AD Brain An AD Plaque Mild AD Severe AD PreClinical AD

Treatment of Alzheimer’s Drug therapy Memory Training Participation in intellectually challenging tasks in older age

Mental Health Issue and Aging Anxiety Most commonly diagnosed mental illness for older adults Depression Suicide more common among the older adult population Higher incidence of depression among those with chronic physical illnesses Reminiscent Therapy

Suicide Rates According to Age

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