Phenomenology of Depression in Dementia

Abstract

Dementia and depression are the two most prevalent psychiatric disorders in the elderly. Although dementia has traditionally been viewed as a disorder of cognition, and depression as a disorder of mood, this simple classification has recently been questioned, and the complex interrelationship between depression and dementia is being elucidated (Emery & Oxman, 1992; Raskind, 1998). Patients with depression may show cognitive deficits, simulating dementia (Berrios, 1989), and patients with dementing disorders may show symptoms of depression (Allen & Burns, 1995; Burns, 1991). In addition, depression may precede dementia and represent the very first signs of dementing illness, or may be a risk factor for subsequent dementia.