About Dementia

Diagnosing Dementia

When diagnosing dementia doctors first assess whether a patient has an underlying treatable condition such as depression, abnormal thyroid function, normal pressure hydrocephalus, or vitamin deficiency. Early diagnosis is important, some symptoms can be treated. In most cases, the specific type of dementia cannot be confirmed until after the patient has died and the brain can be examined.

Causes of Dementia

Doctors have identified many other conditions that can cause dementia-like symptoms. These conditions include:

  • Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare brain disorder
  • Huntington’s disease, a hereditary disorder caused by a faulty gene
  • Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), caused by repeated traumatic brain injury
  • Subdural hematoma, bleeding between the brain’s surface and its outer covering

Caring for a Person with Dementia

Many caregivers of older adults face difficult challenges when caring for people with dementia. Everyday tasks may seem endless from arranging doctor’s appointments, to transportation, feeding, and much more. Difficult situations, such as hospitalization and making decisions about long-term care, also arise.

Read our Dementia Behavior Guide

For More Information About Types of Dementia

NIA Alzheimer’s and related Dementias Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center
1-800-438-4380 (toll-free)
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www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers
The National Institute on Aging’s ADEAR Center offers information and free print publications about Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias for families, caregivers, and health professionals. ADEAR Center staff answer telephone, email, and written requests and make referrals to local and national resources.

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
1-800-352-9424 (toll-free)
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www.ninds.nih.gov

Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration
1-866-507-7222 (toll-free)
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www.theaftd.org

Lewy Body Dementia Association
1-404-975-2322
1-844-311-0587 (toll-free LBD Caregiver Link)
www.lbda.org

Alzheimer's Association
1-800-272-3900 (toll-free, 24/7) 
1-866-403-3073 (TTY/toll-free)
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www.alz.org

National Association for Rare Disorders
1-203-744-0100
1-800-999-6673 (toll-free Patient Services)
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www.rarediseases.org