Dementia is a term that is used to describe a set of symptoms that includes memory loss and the loss of cognitive and intellectual function. Alzheimer's disease causes the majority of cases of dementia, but there are other disorders that also cause dementia, such as Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease. Understanding the symptoms of the early stages of dementia can be important because in some cases, such as dementia caused by thyroid disorders, the dementia can be reversible. For other cases of dementia, early diagnosis can mean treatments that are more effective and the opportunity to make lifestyle changes.
Loss of Initiative
In the early stages of dementia, people can become passive and lose interest in hobbies. Activities that are usually done will be avoided. People can sit passively in front of a television for hours.
Personality Changes
A person can experience a personality change and become confused and distrustful of friends and family members. Someone suffering from dementia could also become dependent on family members. The personality change can be a large shift in personality.
Mood Changes
Rapid mood swings are an early symptom of dementia. The swings can be wide-ranging, from calm to anger and then to sadness.
Misplacing Items
In the early stages of dementia, a person can misplace ordinary items and put them in odd places, such as a watch in a bowl of sugar.
Poor Judgment
A person in the early stages of dementia might dress inappropriately for the weather, such as putting on thick, multiple shirts on a warm day. Large amounts of money could be given away over the phone to telemarketers. Products not needed could be purchased. Balancing a checkbook becomes more complicated.
Language Problems
Simple, everyday words can be forgotten in the early stages of dementia. Unusual words could be substituted for these forgotten words, making the meaning of sentences difficult to understand.
Difficulty With Tasks
Simple tasks, such as preparing a meal or using an appliance, can become difficult to perform. The tasks performed in favorite hobbies can also prove difficult.
Memory Loss
While most people forget things from time to time, people in the early stages of dementia will forget things more often and will not remember them later.
