Dementia diagnosis brings relief, not depression

New research from Washington University in St. Louis indicates knowing the truth about having dementia as soon as possible improves the emotional well-being of both patients and their caregivers. The study is published in the current Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. According to a press release announcing the study, one reason that an Alzheimer's diagnosis can be comforting to both family members and patients is that "it provides an explanation for what's been going on with the patient. Caregivers, he notes, are often quick to attribute symptoms of dementia to the person, rather than the disease, and patients wonder if they are going 'crazy.'"

"The major finding is that both patients and their families feel relief, not increased anxiety, upon learning the diagnosis," says study co-author John C. Morris, M.D., the Harvey A. and Dorismae Hacker Friedman Distinguished Professor of Neurology and director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. "Nobody wants to hear the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, but even that is preferable to recognizing there's a problem and not knowing what it is. At least having the diagnosis allows people to make plans for the future, including treatment as appropriate."

In addition to a sense of relief and being able to better prepare for the future, early diagnoses also allows for earlier interventions to delay the effects of Alzheimer's and dementia and certain medications on the market can delay symptoms and might possibly delay institutionalization.