TLDR: This list does not automatically mean someone has dementia—other causes may include drugs, stress, mental illness, or other medical conditions. Seek medical help before jumping to conclusions.
- Apathy: nothing is interesting.
- Affective dysregulation: sad, anxious, crabby.
- Lack of impulse control: frustrated, angry, irrationally stubborn, obsessive.
- Social inappropriateness: shockingly uninhibited or rude in words, deeds.
- Abnormal perceptions or thoughts: suspicious, hearing or seeing things that aren’t there.
I wish I’d had this article 10 years ago. 20/20 hindsight, my partner in her early 50s went through years of prodromal (beginning signs of) Alzheimer’s before receiving a diagnosis at age 61. The list is scary-accurate.
Well—could be any one of a number of things. Article clearly states (and I’ll second) that this isn’t a comprehensive checklist that points only to dementia.
I’m not going to say what else it might be, as there are so many possibilities. That could generate a raft of options for a total hypochondriac meltdown set of things to worry about.
I will add that partner’s medical & psych team ran through a whole bunch of other options, and none of the obvious meds, counseling, physical tests seemed to help or point anywhere else.
It’s a list to pursue seriously with healthcare providers, though.