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I don't know, janet. I still think that whatever its nationality, dementia=dementia. Carole H. --- janet paterson <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Dementia: European Description > > The ICD-10 Classification of Mental and Behavioural > Disorders > World Health Organization, Geneva, 1992 > > Dementia > > A general description of dementia is given here, to > indicate the minimum requirement for the diagnosis > of dementia of any type, and is followed by the > criteria that govern the diagnosis of more specific > types. > > Dementia is a syndrome due to disease of the brain, > usually of a chronic or progressive nature, in which > there is disturbance of multiple higher cortical > functions, including memory, thinking, orientation, > comprehension, calculation, learning capacity, > language, and judgement. > > Consciousness is not clouded. > > Impairments of cognitive function are commonly > accompanied, and occasionally preceded, by > deterioration in emotional control, social > behaviour, or motivation. > > This syndrome occurs in Alzheimer's disease, in > cerebrovascular disease, and in other conditions > primarily or secondarily affecting the brain. > > In assessing the presence or absence of a dementia, > special care should be taken to avoid false-positive > identification: motivational or emotional factors, > particularly depression, in addition to motor > slowness and general physical frailty, rather than > loss of intellectual capacity, may account for > failure to perform. > > Dementia produces an appreciable decline in > intellectual functioning, and usually some > interference with personal activities of daily > living, such as washing, dressing, eating, personal > hygiene, excretory and toilet activities. > > How such a decline manifests itself will depend > largely on the social and cultural setting in which > the patient lives. > > Changes in role performance, such as lowered ability > to keep or find a job, should not be used as > criteria of dementia because of the large > cross-cultural differences that exist in what is > appropriate, and because there may be frequent, > externally imposed changes in the availability of > work within > > If depressive symptoms are present but the criteria > for depressive episode (F32.0-F32.3) are not > fulfilled, they can be recorded by means of a fifth > character. > > The presence of hallucinations or delusions may be > treated similarly. > > .x0 Without additional symptoms > .x1 Other symptoms, predominantly delusional > .x2 Other symptoms, predominantly hallucinatory > .x3 Other symptoms, predominantly depressive > .x4 Other mixed symptoms > > Diagnostic Guidelines > > The primary requirement for diagnosis is evidence of > a decline in both memory and thinking which is > sufficient to impair personal activities of daily > living, as described above. > > The impairment of memory typically affects the > registration, storage, and retrieval of new > information, but previously learned and familiar > material may also be lost, particularly in the later > stages. > > Dementia is more than dysmnesia: there is also > impairment of thinking and of reasoning capacity, > and a reduction in the flow of ideas. > > The processing of incoming information is impaired, > in that the individual finds it increasingly > difficult to attend to more than one stimulus at a > time, such as taking part in a conversation with > several persons, and to shift the focus of attention > from one topic to another. > > If dementia is the sole diagnosis, evidence of clear > consciousness is required. > > However, a double diagnosis of delirium superimposed > upon dementia is common (F05.1). > > The above symptoms and impairments should have been > evident for at least 6 months for a confident > clinical diagnosis of dementia to be made. > > Differential Diagnosis > > Consider: > - a depressive disorder (F30-F39), which may exhibit > many of the features of an early dementia, > especially memory impairment, slowed thinking, and > lack of spontaneity; - delirium (F05); > - mild or moderate mental retardation (F70-F71); > - states of subnormal cognitive functioning > attributable to a severely impoverished social > environment and limited education; > - iatrogenic mental disorders due to medication > (F06.-). > > Dementia may follow any other organic mental > disorder classified in this block, or coexist with > some of them, notably delirium (see F05.1). > > > ICD-10 copyright © 1992 by World Health > Organization. > Internet Mental Health > copyright © 1995-1997 by Phillip W. Long, M.D. > <http://www.mentalhealth.com/icd/p22-or05.html> > > janet paterson > 52 now / 41 dx / 37 onset > snail-mail: PO Box 171 Almonte Ontario K0A 1A0 > Canada > website: a new voice > <http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Village/6263/> > e-mail: <[log in to unmask]> > _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com