Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T19:11:31.106Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Criteria for Diagnosing Reversible Dementia Caused by Depression: Validation by 2-year Follow-up

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Peter V. Rabins*
Affiliation:
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
Altaf Merchant
Affiliation:
11 East Chase Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA
*
Correspondence: Meyer 279, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21205.

Summary

Eighteen patients fulfilling DSM-III criteria for both major depression and dementia were matched by age and sex to patients with a diagnosis of irreversible dementia and patients with a diagnosis of major depression. A past history of depression, self reports of depressed mood, self blaming, hopeless and somatic delusions, an appetite disturbance and subacute onset identified the patients suffering from dementia caused by depression. Two year follow-up confirmed the initial diagnosis and demonstrated that coexisting cognitive impairment and major depression are not usually precursory to a progressive dementing illness.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © 1984 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Duckworth, G. S. & Ross, H. (1975) Diagnostic differences in psychogeriatric patients in Toronto, New York and London, England. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 112, 847–51.Google ScholarPubMed
Folstein, M. F., Folstein, S. E. & McHugh, P. R. (1975) “Mini-mental state”: a practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 12, 189–98.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Folstein, M. F., Folstein, S. E. & McHugh, P. R. (1978) Dementia syndrome of depression. In Alzheimer's Disease: Senile Dementia and Related Disorders (eds. R. Katzman, R. D. Terry and K. L. Bick). New York: Raven Press.Google Scholar
Freemon, F. (1976) Evaluation of patients with progressive intellectual deterioration. Archives of Neurology, 33, 658–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hemsi, L. K., Whitehead, A. & Post, F. (1968) Cognitive functioning and cerebral arousal in elderly depressives and dements. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 12, 145–56.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jacoby, R. J., Dolan, R. J., Levy, R. & Baldy, R. (1983) Quantitative computed tomography in elderly depressed patients. British Journal of Psychiatry, 143, 124–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kendell, R. E. (1974) The stability of psychiatric diagnoses. British Journal of Psychiatry, 124, 352–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kiloh, L. G. (1961) Pseudo-dementia. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 37, 336–51.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kraepelin, E. (1921) Manic-depressive Insanity and Paranoia. Translated by Barclay, R. M., p 75. Edinburgh: E. & S. Livingston. Reprinted 1976. New York: Arno Press.Google Scholar
Marsden, C. D. & Harrison, M. J. G. (1972) Outcome of investigation of patients with presenile dementia. British Medial Journal, 2, 249–52.Google ScholarPubMed
Mathew, R. J., Meyer, J. J., Francis, D. J., Semchuk, K. M., Mortel, K. & Claghorn, J. L. (1980) Cerebral blood flow in depression. American Journal of Psychiatry, 137, 1449–50.Google ScholarPubMed
McAllister, T. W. & Price, T. R. P. (1982) Severe depressive pseudo-dementia with and without dementia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 139, 626–9.Google Scholar
Miller, N. E. (1980) The measurement of mood in senile brain disease: Examiner ratings and self reports. In Psychopathology in the Aged (eds. J. O. Cole and J. E. Barrett). New York: Raven Press.Google Scholar
Nott, P. N. & Fleminger, J. J. (1975) Presenile dementia: the difficulties of early diagnosis. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 41, 210–17.Google Scholar
Post, F. (1975) Diagnosis of depression in geriatric patients and treatment modalites appropriate for the population. In Depression: Behavioral, Biochemical, Diagnostic, and Treatment Concepts (eds. D. M. Gallant and G. M. Simpson). New York: Spectrum Publications.Google Scholar
Rabins, P. V. (1981) The prevalence of reversible dementia in a psychiatric hospital. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 32, 249–52.Google ScholarPubMed
Reifler, B. V., Larson, E. & Hanley, R. (1982) Coexistence of cognitive impairment and depression in geriatric out-patients. American Journal of Psychiatry, 139, 623–6.Google Scholar
Ron, M. A., Toone, B. K., Geralda, M. E. & Lishman, W. A. (1979) Diagnostic accuracy in presenile dementia. British Journal of Psychiatry, 134, 161–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shraberg, D. (1978) The myth of pseudo-dementia and the aging brain. American Journal of Psychiatry, 135, 601–3.Google Scholar
Spar, J. E. & Gerner, R. (1982) Does the dexamethasone suppression test distinguish dementia from depression? American Journal of Psychiatry, 139, 238–40.Google ScholarPubMed
Tomlinson, B. E., Blessed, G. & Roth, M. (1968) Observations on the brains of non-demented old people. Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 7, 331–56.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tsai, L. & Tsuang, M. T. (1979) The mini-mental state test and computerized tomography. American Journal of Psychiatry, 136, 436–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Uytdenhoef, P., Portelange, P., Jacquy, J., Charles, G., Unkowksi, P. & Mendlewicz, J. (1983) Regional cerebral blood flow and lateralized hemispheric dysfunction in depression. British Journal of Psychiatry, 143, 128–32.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wells, C. E. (1979) Pseudodementia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 136, 895900.Google ScholarPubMed
Wells, C. E. (1982) Pseudodementia and the recognition of organicity. In Psychiatric Aspects of Neurologic Disease (eds. D. F. Benson and D. Blumer). New York: Grune and Stratton.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.