Dementia: stigma delays vital treatment
DELAYS in seeking treatment for dementia may be caused by feelings of stigma attached to the condition, a new study has revealed.
Dementia is the gradual loss of mental abilities such as thinking, remembering, and reasoning. The most common symptoms include loss of memory, confusion, and changes in personality, mood and behaviour.
Another factor in delayed referral to a specialist is 'therapeutic nihilism', which means a scepticism about the ability of treatments to make any difference.
The findings emerged in a study of patients treated at the Memory Clinic in Cork University Hospital.
Slightly more than half of the group was diagnosed early but the rest had already moderate or severe problems. The earlier a person is diagnosed with dementia the better because it allows doctors to get the most out of treatments and interventions.
In all, 93 patients were diagnosed with dementia in the study between July 2004 and February 2007, according to the Irish Journal Of Psychological Medicine.
Factors leading to the delay included stigma, little faith in doctors being able to do anything for the patient and also lack of awareness of who should be referred on to a specialist.
The study calls for better education of GPs on the need to refer patients who may have dementia. Most types cannot be cured. The exceptions are those related to vitamin or hormone deficiency, which can be treated with supplements.
It may also be linked to head injury, hydrocephalus or tumour, which may be treatable with surgery.
Cases due to medication can be tackled by changing the drugs a person is taking and if an infection is at fault this can also be treated.
For some people in the early and middle stages of the disease, the medicines Donepezil, Rivastigmine and Galantamine may help prevent some symptoms from becoming worse for a period of time.
Memantine may have the same effect for some people who have moderate or severe Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers are currently investigating other treatments, including anti-oxidants, brain stem cell therapy and a vaccination to stop the build-up of plaques in the brain (a hallmark of Alzheimer's).
It is thought that mental activity can help to slow the progress of some types of dementia, so staying mentally and physically active should be encouraged.
Symptoms of dementia
- Memory loss
- Difficulty finding words
- Changes of mood
- Alzheimer's Association helpline: 1800 341 341
- Eilish O'Regan
