mental disorders?

Question

Are there testing for dementia? Is dementia a form of the early stages of alzheimers? I'm worried about a friend who from time to time not often will be out of it, talking about things that do not make sense and he sees things. He angers quickly during this episodes which are maybe 10 per year.

I would like to add he is not a drinker whatsoever nor does he do illegal drugs. He is a diabetic and takes insulin as well as other meds for high blood pressure and such... nothing abnormal and nothing for mental. He is in his early 40's

Answer 1

I was married to a diabetic and when his blood sugar dipped dangerously low, he sometimes became confused, quick to anger, and out of his head...acting and doing irrational things. This may be what is happening to your friend since he too is diabetic. The only way to know for sure is to test his blood sugar level when this happens. Other signs of low blood sugar can be sweating, looking quite pale or gray even, clammy feeling ...when this happens the blood sugar level has dropped drastically and it is important to get juice in him or something that will go into the blood stream quickly....like soda, or even straight sugar..followed by a meal of substance. If this happens and his blood sugar is at a normal level between 70 and 120 (70 being at the low end but not low enough to cause this happening) then he needs to see his doctor immediatly to find the cause.

Answer 2

There are a number of things that can cause dementia. Some can be diagnosed by neurological exams and lab tests such as brain imaging. Alzheimer's Disease is the most common cause of the degenerative dementias. There are currently no specific lab tests for it. It's diagnosed by evaluating the onset and symptoms and by neuropsychological testing and ruling out other possible causes of dementia.

Answer 3

Dementia is not an early stage of Alzheimer's. Although the out ward symptoms appear similar. There is testing.

Answer 4

He seems young for alzhimer's but yes if the right genes are present it can lead to alzhimers. The early stages of Alzhimer's are paranoid behavior, hallucinations, repeating things, or the other extreme of being quiet. Personality changes are the biggest sign. In later stages dr.'s can tell by certain eye movements. I think its the inability of the eyes to be able to focus on anything. The best thing to do is to go to a dr. and have him checked out. There are medications that can help or even stop it if eary enough.