Can grief and depression intermingle and cause early stages of alzheimers to appear more advanced?

Question

I know a fair amount about alzheimers and dementia but always find out it is harder to apply what I know to people I am invovled with.
I have been wondering if my friend may have blocked her husbands death and not grieved sufficiently. Then again I've had family who divorced and six months later it was as if they had never known their spouse.

Answer 1

From my personal experience I can tell you that grief and depression cause people to completely give up on life. Is that dementia or early Alzheimer's? My mother had a stroke and died that night. My father took his own life a few months later. I look back on that time and get the guilts because I couldn't help my father or prevent his suicide.
I would suggest that you strongly urge your friend to seek professional counseling or medical care. Drive her to the appointments if necessary. You might be saving her life.

Answer 2

Yes, it can intermingle.
Unfortunately, many are diagnosed with Alzheimers incorrectly when they are just depressed.

You are right. It is harder to apply with people you know. I have a friend that I suspected 10 years ago of having early alzheimer's. I could not tell for sure because she also drank a lot.

Grieving is important. We need time to grieve.
Some are in denial of a loss which is a means of protection. (the case of a family member who was divorced, as you mentioned).

It is sad that many people are diagnosed with Alzheimer's who are only depressed and with the right medication, can become whole again.

There are early signs of Alzeheimer's that we all need to be educated about. It is a scary thing. I think we begin to worry about this as we age....but, Alzheimer's can strike as early as age 40.

Bottom line, Alzheimer's will demonstrate grief and depression and grief and depression can mimic Alzheimer's.

Thanks. You are a great person and one of my favorite people.

Answer 3

I should think it would have a very strong bearing on Alzheimer's.
My darling mother lived with me until my health and hers got to the point where she had to enter a nursing home.
I found with her that she became more susceptible to upsets, including any strong emotions and started to have bouts of depression. In turn her alzheimers got worse.
Also illness especially those with a high temperature can make the Alzheimer's worse too. When my mum was in hospital with cellulitus and on intravenous antibiotics her Alzheimer's really got bad.
It is a terrible thing to see happen to someone you love sooo much and I feel a terrible grief already. Even tho she hasn't passed away the amazing woman she was is no longer there.

Answer 4

SC, I think that it can be difficult to tell what is causing symptoms; there are times when both a form of dementia and other problems (such as major depression) can occur at the same time. I suppose that there can be a 'culmlative effect' where symptoms can worsen due to a combination of problems.

Grieving is such an individual process; it's really hard to say what is sufficient.

The best I've been able to offer to those I know who are suffering is to call to chat, encourage them to visit their physicians and to bring a written list of concerns with them, and invite them to do things once in awhile.

Answer 5

Over the last five years I had begun to have increasingly withdraw into a downward spiral of depression..

But now with the method I can fully focus my energy and thoughts into a decisive line on how to make my life better constantly. And it works like magic! I'm beginning to attract people to me once again and things have just been looking up since then.

Helping you eliminate depression?

Answer 6

We each have our own requirements in life. My ex-father in law remarried just SIX WEEKS after his wife's funeral. And exactly this happened again when one of my mother's friends died. It certainly devastates the families of the original wife to think that their loved one could be so easily forgotten.

As to your friend showing signs of early onset Alzeheimers...if she is keeping mentally active and involved with life (even if she is trolling around for men), then I would say that failure to grieve completely was not the reason. It may be that she has a family background of early onset Alzeheimers instead.

If however, she spends most of her time sunk in depression, and then tries to be "the life and soul of the party" when she is out with friends, it just may be a valid premise. Her depression could be causing a withdrawal from life. And I have found that with Alzeheimers it is very much a "use it or lose it" disease...the more you keep your brain active and involved, the more it IS active and involved and the slower the disease progresses.

Can you not suggest counselling?

Answer 7

Sounds like you have some training.May I say she could have grieved losing her hubby along time ago.Some people remain married,just because.My Grandmaw and Grandpaw were married 55 years,when he passed.She never shed a tear.Said she made a mistake long ago and had nothing to cry about.Cold or truthful?I understand her completely.You decide...Why not ask her if she is a Friend?

Answer 8

I believe so. When you get stressed or depressed your thinking becomes all mixed up and you can't remember all the things that you should. When the stress and depression are behind you, your memory is sharper. I don't know if that is the beginning signs of Alzheimer's, but it sure is scary!

Answer 9

Not certain of any studies on this - however, my experience says YES to your question and so does my mom's doctor who said had she handled my dad's death differently she may not have subcumbed as early or quickly as she has. One major problem with her was that she had made my dad the center and reason for existence - taking little or no interest in anything else in life that did not involve him...So naturally when he died, she was left 'without' and fell into mental disrepair.

Answer 10

Don't by any means know what affects what, but DO believe my fathers death brought moms Alzheimers on more quickly and severely than it would have bee under "normal"circumstances.