Home » Mental Disorder » Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s Disease is a type of mental disorder that affects the brain and can be rather fatal. The disease was name after German physician Alois Alzheimer, who was the first person to describe it in the year 906. It is a fatal brain disorder that destroys brain cells, resulting in problems with memory and thinking and behavior of the person affected. The problems can be so severe that it can affect the person’s work life, hobbies as well as social life. Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common forms of dementia which is related to loss of memory and other intellectual abilities. The definitive cause for this disease is still not yet known and at present there is no cure for Alzheimer’s Disease. However treatments for symptoms along with the right services and support can enhance the lives of the millions of people living this disease.

In order to help people distinguish between normal age-related memory problems and probable warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease, the Alzheimer's Association has formed a comprehensive checklist of common symptoms of the disease. Some of the common symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease include difficulties in communicating, thinking, learning and reasoning. The problems can be serious enough to impact the individual's social activities, work and family life. However there are not clear differences between normal memory changes and warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore it is always advisable to consult a doctor to confirm the status of the memory changes, whether it is a serious change or a normal age related problem.

For people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease it is important for their families to know about it as early as possible to provide enough care and support. The warning signs of this brain disorder include forgetting recently learned information, problems with language, disorientation to time and place, poor or decrease judgment, problems with abstract thinking and misplacing things. Other signs could be loss of initiative, changes in personality and rapid mood swings. There are several stages in the development of Alzheimer’s disease in a person. In the first stage there is no apparent impairment, followed by very mild cognitive decline, mild cognitive decline, and then moderate cognitive decline in the fourth stage. The fifth stage is marked by moderately severe cognitive decline, then severe, followed by very severe cognitive decline in the seventh and last stage.

It is important to note that all people with Alzheimer’s disease will not experience the same symptoms or the same rate of progression. Generally an average of four to six years after diagnosis, Alzheimer patients die though the length of the disease may vary from three to twenty years.

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