Depression And Dementi Depression - 1276 Words

Several studies have shown links between depression and dementia. Brommelhoff, Johansson, Fratiglioni, Gatz, McArdle, Pederson state, â€Å"there are three hypotheses that might explain the association† (Jorm, 2001). The first is that depression is a symptom that indicates the onset of dementia, also known as a prodromal feature. The second is that the two are independent illnesses; however, depression causes cognitive deficits, which lead to an earlier onset of dementia. The last argues that depression causes damage in the hippocampus, which then leads to dementia. Some studies have found depression to be a prodrome of dementia. One specifically found that depression arises due to neuropathological damages during the course of dementia, and another showed that people with late onset depression had greater frontal lobe atrophy than controls and those with early onset depression. On the other hand, it has been shown that a history of depression increases the risk of dementia l ater in life. There is some evidence that the earlier the onset of depression, the greater the likelihood is of developing dementia later; however, this only held true in individuals with little education. The disagreement and contradiction in previous studies call for further experimentation, primarily to determine â€Å"whether a history of depression significantly predicted the likelihood of having dementia later in life† (Brommelhoff et al., 2009). Researchers examined the difference in the number of yearsShow MoreRelatedLevel 3 Health and Social Care Unit 365dementia3984 Words   |  16 Pagestype of Prp mutation involved. There may even be a great variation in the symptoms within affected members of the same family. Sometimes, the symptom pattern is similar to that found in sporadic CJD, namely: early symptoms may be like those of depression-mood swings, memory lapses, social withdrawal and lack of interest. However rapid progression to dementia and neurological symptoms are distinctive. Within weeks the patient may become unsteady on their feet, lacking in coordination and clumsy