Alzheimer’s remains the fifth-leading cause of death in America for those aged 65 or older, according to many studies. As such, ensuring that you understand whether or not a loved one has it can have a considerable impact on your response to their mental health. The gaps in someone’s memory can come from various triggers, but determining whether something is dementia vs. depression can be a lifesaver when assessing a senior’s mental health.
In this article, we offer a guide to concepts like:
- Persistent forgetfulness
- Mood disruption
- Emotional outburst
- SHINE® Memory Care
- At-home dementia screening tools
Use this information to act confidently when visiting Northside of Indianapolis, IN, for an official assessment. Stay with us as we offer details on how this location, with its green areas and open-air spaces, can provide seniors with all the mental health help they need.
Key Clues to Differentiate Dementia vs. Depression
Memory loss is a common feature in both dementia and depression. However, you should not panic at the first sign of it. There are specific differences that can help you determine whether it relates to a person’s mood or a cognitive decline.
First of all, memory loss in dementia typically tends to get slowly worse over time. It will start with minor things, so it can often be hard to determine its cause. This fact is one of the reasons why you should put together a journal of events if you suspect that someone may be exhibiting signs of dementia.
On the other hand, depression causes more sudden lapses in memory, usually fluctuating in time and intensity, which tend to coincide with the sufferer’s mood shifts. Much of this relates to their inability to concentrate during conversations or other interactions, leading to difficulties storing information they may need later.
Ultimately, the memory issues from depression come from significant or prolonged feelings of sadness or helplessness, which can be very distracting. It can impact more than just memory and interfere with other areas of life, such as appetite and sleep.
At the same time, however, be aware that longer sleep durations, such as those over eight hours, are now proven to offer a higher risk of dementia. As such, these issues can feed into one another and may even trigger one another.
Insight Into One’s Situation
On top of forgetfulness, another significant factor in diagnosing whether someone experiences memory loss vs. mood shifts is their reaction to it.
It is often the case that someone with depression may ignore the signs that they have a problem, as their mind creates reasons or excuses for their lack of memory. This impairment, when it comes to memory care awareness, is also called anosognosia and is something we can see in up to 16% of those with dementia, according to some studies. However, it becomes more pronounced over time.
Those with depression will instead respond to their lack of memory. They will express guilt and a lack of self-worth, resulting from noticing a significant change in their life. If they are aware of the possibilities of dementia, they may even self-diagnose incorrectly and worry about more significant mental deficiencies than exist in reality.
If a person has depression, they may then feel as though they are a burden and retreat from social engagements, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy that leads to them losing out on opportunities.
Depending on your location, you may be able to get your loved one help with both of these issues. SHINE Memory Care, for example, can use various strategies to diagnose the exact nature of the person’s emotional wellness and support those with poorer self-awareness.
At-Home Checks Families Can Perform
It is imperative that people ensure they keep a careful log of the actions of their loved ones’ behaviors when they fall outside of expectations to help with ongoing diagnoses and tracking of mental health progression. You can then use these to differentiate issues like sudden mood symptoms from more progressive decline in a person.
The log should include:
- Missed appointments
- Misplaced items
- Social withdrawal details
- Loss of interest in events
- Conversational notes
- General mood information
- Insomnia or hypersomnia
- Weight
- Morning and evening energy levels
- Wakefulness
- How much rest impacts mood
With all of this information, you will be much more likely to be able to create a full calendar of events. If you find that many of the issues tend to be temporary, especially if they seem to relate directly to specific events or moods, then there is every chance they are experiencing depression rather than a chronic issue such as dementia.
Cognitive and Mood Screenings
One can do several simple tests to understand whether they might need to approach a specialist about SHINE® to seek out memory care options. Some of the more common examples of this include:
Clock-drawing tests: These help evaluate visuospatial awareness by getting a senior to draw a clock that displays a specific time.
Self-report questionnaires: Tests such as the Geriatric Depression Scale can indicate if someone is experiencing senior mental health lapses, such as depressive symptoms.
Montreal cognitive assessment: The 30-point test can give you a much more precise breakdown of another person’s ability to engage in concepts such as:
- Executive functions
- Abstraction
- Naming things or locations
- Attention
- Language recall
- Visuospatial skills
There are also many others, such as the AD8 screening tool and the PHQ-9 patient health questionnaire. Each of these analyzes different, unique aspects related to dementia and depression and can give a more holistic view of a person’s current situation.
Take Confident Next Steps to Care for Your Family
With the above tools and information, you should better understand what your loved one is going through, so that you can search for the right kind of support. With Rittenhouse Village at Northside, you should be able to identify whether the issue is dementia vs. depression, and what to do next.
We can help you understand the situation, and alongside a tour of our SHINE® Memory Care community, we can give you the peace of mind you need. Talk to us today to learn how we can help you and the one you care for find an easier life.
