Question:
My mother recently had a complete physical and related to me what the findingswere. I wish I had been there but I wasn't.She said her doctor told her she had dementia.

In the limited amount of searching I have done on the internet I keep findingthis condition linked with Alzheimer's disease.

I have also found that there are several types of dementia. Does anyone haveany suggestions for further diagnosis and how I can help her?

Answer: Dementia is a psychiatric term in the DSM-IV describing a syndrome ofsymptoms. It is not a diagnosis but rather indicates that a diagnosis isneeded. It can nonetheless be employed as a "temporary diagnosis" onlywhile the physician is doing the the complete work-up to determine what isthe cause of the dementia. If the physician gives a diagnosis of dementiaand stops there, then another physician who will do the proper tests shouldbe consulted.There are over 100 medical conditions which can produce the symptoms whichdefine dementia. The family physician can eliminate many of these such asthyroid disorders, infection, vitamin deficiency, etc. When the familyphysician finds no cause for the dementia, he/she should refer to apsychogeriatric specialist for a more detailed battery of tests. Only whenall other medical conditions are eliminated as the source of the dementia is"probable Alzheimer disease" diagnosed.Although the diagnosing of the cause for dementia may be long andtime-consuming, it is essential because proper diagnosis determines propertreatment.