About Alzheimer's Disease: Can Alzheimer's Disease Be Overdiagnosed?

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Alzheimer's Disease Alzheimer's Disease Symptoms / Diagnosis Treatment Coping From Andrew Rosenzweig, MD, your Guide to Alzheimer's Disease First of all, Happy New Year to all of you. As we start a new year, I'd like to tackle an idea that goes against the status quo. The conventional wisdom about diagnosing Alzheimer's disease has typically been that it is commonly underdiagnosed. Reasons cited include lack of definitive screening and diagnostic tools, denial by the family, the stigma of a diagnosis, ethnic and cultural issues, and the fact that it starts with subtle signs that are often attributed to "normal aging." While these are all true, the fact remains there are still people that are overdiagnosed with Alzheimer's, the focus of this week's newsletter. The MMSE May Contribute to Overdiagnosis of Alzheimer's While the underdiagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias is well accepted, we have to guard against overdiagnosing dementia as well. As I noted in a recent article on screening... Read more The Mini-Cog Avoids Influence of Education and Ethnicity My patients and I like simplicity: no jargon, no wasted time on "silly" questions. Well, the Mini-Cog test fits the bill, and is surprisingly accurate as an Alzheimer's screening tool ... Read more See More About:  alzheimer's diagnosis  cognitive impairment  memory loss What If It's Not Alzheimer's Although Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia, a host of other conditions can also cause dementia, including the 10 described below... Read more See More About:  dementia  alzheimer's diagnosis  alzheimer's causes Depression or Dementia? You might think that telling the difference between depression and dementia would always be easy, but you'd be wrong. Depression can also create cognitive symptoms like difficulty thinking clearly, concentration problems, and trouble making decisions....Read more See More About:  depression  dementia  alzheimer's diagnosis Alzheimer's Disease Ads Dementia Alzheimer Symptoms Alzheimers Disease Alzheimer 'S Vascular Disease Featured Articles Books, Mags, and Movies Glossary Alzheimer's Basics Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease Diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease Treatment Options for Alzheimer's Disease   More from About.com Top 10 Media Stories of 2010 Discover which blame games, survival stories and key media figures under fire made our list. More> Ten Best Talk Show Moments Oprah and Conan left to start new ventures, but there were a few other shocks and surprises in 2010. More> This newsletter is written by: Andrew Rosenzweig, MD Alzheimer's Disease Guide Email Me | My Blog | My Forum   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About Alzheimer's Disease newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Must Reads What is Alzheimer's Symptoms of Alzheimer's Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Treatment of Alzheimer's Living With Alzheimer's Advertisement