can the psychologist help the neurologist to understand Alzheimer's disease?

Answer 1

yes/ this is a good question especially if you have a family member diagnosed with Alz disease. The psychologist who has a PhD and is trained in testing is able to perform very sophisticated tests that will help determine the exact nature of the cognitive deficits and therefore the progression of the disease. They will be able to stage the level of decline ie. mild, moderate or severe. This can have important implications for treatment since some meds are better at different stages. It is important that you use a psychologist who is specialized in geriatric testing and more superficially in dementia. Not all dementia is of the Alz type and that can be determined by a psychologist. You have hit on one of the few areas where a trained psychologist can be as helpful or more helpful than a physician. Good luck

Answer 2

The neurologist and psychiatrist are doctors who can treat and prescribe medication for Alzheimer's. A psychologist helps the family understand the illness and cope with the stress. Since he may work closely with the family, he can alert the neurologist or the psychiatrist of any mental changes. So they can all work together.

Answer 3

Alzheimer patients have an excess of psychiatric disorders, including psychosis. Neurologists have had no success at all in explaining what relation, if any, hallucinations, say, have with the undoubted brain changes. Psychiatrists have a role to play, and should learn a lot about the causes of psychosis as well.

Answer 4

Yes, I think so. Situational factors can influence how lucid suffers are - for example familiar surroundings such as the home, and cues such as someone visiting at the same time each day can help to orient the patient in space and time. Even elderly people who are not demented can become extremely confused when take out of their usual environment, for example when in hospital.

This sort of thing is squarely within the realm of the psychologist. Psychology perhaps cannot inform neurology on the cause of this terrible disease, but it can be used to help manage the symptoms.

Answer 5

i can't see why not. psychologists often do look at the neurology of the brain. and psychological studies could possibly be the only way to monitor the effects of Alzheimer's - i.e. testing the more able sufferers to get an approximate psychological degeneration timescale relative to the acceleration to the neurological disfunction.

psychology is much more biological than people realise -

Answer 6

no. altzhimer is a neurological desease - death of sells. shrink has nothing to do with it