What is "dementia"

Dementia \De*men"ti*a\, n. [L., fr. demens. See Dement.] Insanity; madness; esp. that form which consists in weakness or total loss of thought and reason; mental imbecility; idiocy.

1806, from Latin dementia "madness, insanity," literally "a being out of one's mind," from dement-, stem of demens "mad, raving" (see dement) + abstract noun suffix -ia. It existed earlier in an anglicized form, demency (1520s), from French démence. Dementia praecox is a Modern Latin form recorded from 1899 in English, 1891 in German, from French démence précoce (1857). See precocious.\n

n. (context pathology English) A progressive decline in cognitive function due to damage or disease in the brain beyond what might be expected from normal aging. Areas particularly affected include memory, attention, judgement, language and problem solving.

n. mental deterioration of organic or functional origin [syn: dementedness]

Dementia is a cognitive disorder.

Dementia may also refer to:

• Dementia (1955 film), a low-budget horror film made in 1953 and released in 1955
• Dementia (2014 film), a 2014 Filipino horror film
• Dementia (journal), an academic journal established in 2002 covering research on the disorder
• Dementia, one of the two kingdoms in the 2007 role-playing game The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles
• "Dementia," a song by Owl City from the 2012 album The Midsummer Station

Dementia (also known in a slightly altered version as Daughter of Horror) is an American film by John Parker, incorporating elements of the horror film, film noir and expressionist film.

Dementia: The International Journal of Social Research and Practice is a bimonthly peer-reviewed academic journal that covers research in the field of geriatrics. Its editors-in-chief are John Keady ( University of Manchester) and Phyllis Braudy Harris ( John Carroll University). It was established in 2002 and is currently published by Sage Publications.

Dementia is a 2014 Filipino horror film directed by Perci Intalan, in his directorial debut. The film stars Nora Aunor as Mara, a woman faced with dementia and strange occurrences in her ancestral home. The film was shown on 24 September 2014, released under Regal Films.

Dementia, also known as senility, is a broad category of brain diseases that cause a long term and often gradual decrease in the ability to think and remember that is great enough to affect a person's daily functioning. Other common symptoms include emotional problems, problems with language, and a decrease in motivation. A person's consciousness is usually not affected. A dementia diagnosis requires a change from a person's usual mental functioning and a greater decline than one would expect due to aging. These diseases also have a significant effect on a person's caregivers.

The most common type of dementia is Alzheimer's disease, which makes up 50% to 70% of cases. Other common types include vascular dementia (25%), Lewy body dementia (15%), and frontotemporal dementia. Less common causes include normal pressure hydrocephalus, Parkinson's disease, syphilis, and Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease among others. More than one type of dementia may exist in the same person. A small proportion of cases run in families. In the DSM-5, dementia was reclassified as a neurocognitive disorder, with various degrees of severity. Diagnosis is usually based on history of the illness and cognitive testing with medical imaging and blood work used to rule out other possible causes. The mini mental state examination is one commonly used cognitive test. Efforts to prevent dementia include trying to decrease risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, and obesity. Screening the general population for the disorder is not recommended.

There is no cure for dementia. Cholinesterase inhibitors such as donepezil are often used and may be beneficial in mild to moderate disorder. Overall benefit, however, may be minor. For people with dementia and those who care for them many measures can improve their lives. Cognitive and behavioral interventions may be appropriate. Educating and providing emotional support to the caregiver is important. Exercise programs are beneficial with respect to activities of daily living and potentially improve outcomes. Treatment of behavioral problems with antipsychotics is common but not usually recommended due to the little benefit and side effects, including an increased risk of death.

Globally, dementia affects 36 million people. About 10% of people develop the disorder at some point in their lives. It becomes more common with age. About 3% of people between the ages of 65–74 have dementia, 19% between 75 and 84 and nearly half of those over 85 years of age. In 2013 dementia resulted in about 1.7 million deaths up from 0.8 million in 1990. As more people are living longer, dementia is becoming more common in the population as a whole. For people of a specific age, however, it may be becoming less frequent, at least in the developed world, due to a decrease in risk factors. It is one of the most common causes of disability among the old. It is believed to result in economic costs of 604 billion USD a year. People with dementia are often physically or chemically restrained to a greater degree than necessary, raising issues of human rights. Social stigma against those affected is common.