In this lecture, first, the author reported the latest national data for the prevalence of dementia. A higher prevalence than the previously estimated one was stressed:about 14 percent prevalence for individuals aged 65 and older throughout Japan. Second, the author discussed the notion of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia and impairment of the daily life function. The strategy for the treatment of these characteristic problems shown by individuals with dementia is indispensable for clinical services. Third, the recent findings about the relationship between dementia and depression were reported. The author explained the importance of the depressive symptoms that appeared during the prodromal stage of Lewy body dementia. Finally, the newly proposed definition and terminology of organic mental disorders including dementia in the DSM‒5 by American Psychiatric Association were reported.
An Introduction to Geriatric Psychiatry:Recent Topics
Department of psychiatry, University of Tsukuba
Psychiatria et Neurologia Japonica
115: 84-89, 2013
<Keywords:dementia, epidemiology, daily life dysfunction, depression, DSM‒5>