Dementia was once a catch-all diagnosis for anyone with obvious cognitive and behavioral problems. If someone seemed disoriented, forgetful and displayed inappropriate behaviors, he was termed "demented" or without proper mental capacity. The malady comes about gradually, usually in older adults and worsens with time, as opposed to delusional behavior, which may come about quickly and be temporary. It must be differentiated from schizophrenia, which usually occurs in younger adults but shares some of the symptoms.
Identity loss
Forgetting names is one early symptom of dementia. As the malady worsens, it may progress from forgetting the postman's name to forgetting your mother's maiden name to forgetting your friends' names to, in extreme cases, forgetting your own name. Asking a person to name the president, her boss, family members or social acquaintances is part of examining a patient for orientation as to persons.
Time Loss
A person suffering from dementia may forget birthdays, leave things cooking too long, be very late or early for an appointment or seem to lose all sense of time. He may be easily distracted from a task and take an inappropriate amount of time to get back on task if at all. Asking a patient the date and time, how long he took to arrive somewhere or how many years he has been married will let the consultant know how time oriented a person is.
Loss of Place
Those suffering from dementia may become lost easily, have difficulty finding a familiar route or in advanced stages, may even wander aimlessly . Taking a wrong turn and circling back on track can happen to anyone. It's more the inability to get back on track and mistaking place markers normally familiar to the person that shows the development of dementia.
Cognitive Loss
Forgetting recently learned items and activities, as well as having trouble learning new material are parts of the beginning stages of dementia. This is more than just misplacing your car keys or glasses. Other losses shown in dementia besides time, place and identity include the ability to plan, form sentences, and recognize common objects and their routine uses. Any number of normal activities from counting, spelling and reciting days and months in order may deteriorate.
Behavioral Change
As dementia progresses, a mildly confused person may become so perplexed that she stops performing routine, simple activities of daily living. A sociable person may become guarded and shy, and a quiet person may have sudden, loud outbursts without provocation. As the disease progresses, the person may become a stranger to herself, her friends and her family.
