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Psychological aspects of Alzheimer

There are many individuals in many countries including China, which are diagnosed with Alzheimer, a progressive degenerative brain disease that mostly can start after age 50 or older. There are many ongoing researches around the world to find ways to stop this serious disease. Many research indicated that the cause of Alzheimer could be due to several reasons including environmental factors, genetic, building up of some particular protein & plaques in different part of brain cells, inflammation as well as changes of some abnormal brain chemistry.  There are findings that also indicate some medicine might cause the person develop Alzheimer later in life. This disease has different stages and starts with mild then progress to severe memory loss and worsening of cognitive function.

Most persons with Alzheimer might develop depression, anxiety, insomnia, changes in personality and gradually inability for self care.  Human brain dictates ones behavior even in any physical forms. As brain gets troubled by bleeding, infection, cancer, dementia, Alzheimer the persons various psychological and neuropsychological component will change.

Medical procedure such as CT or MRI, these assessments are very important, but it can only observe the change of brain exterior structure. But as we know CT can’t scan human’s consciousness, as well as the brain function. That’s why we also need Neuropsychological and Psychological assessment conducted by trained psychologist or neuropsychologist. Neuropsychology testing can assess brain behavior and assess present and future person's life functioning and overall emotion, cognitive ability and provide recommendations for different life and career adjustment.

There are many kinds of Neuropsychological testing, for example Clock Drawing. As Sunderland and his co-researchers stated that most Alzheimer patients cannot draw a perfect clock comparing to person not suffering from this disease.

Most medicines is prescribed for this problem is anti depressant and anxiety and some medicines to control aggressive behavior, caused by brain dysfunction. Besides medicine, psychologist can help the persons with Alzheimer to subside their depression, anxiety, fear, improving their sleep quality, resolve family issues which might arise as result of complication of this problem as time goes by.

The last but not the least, let me give you some tips can prevent AD and many other kinds of disease including brain disease: stop smoking, limit your drinking alcohol, good sleep, regularly exercise specially aerobic, eat less red meat and oily , eat right food , eat less sweets.

Finally, it’s quite important that family members be quite proactive in seeking medical as well as psychological care for their family members suffering form this disease to gain better life quality as they struggle facing this disease.

Take care

Dr. Mike