Alzheimer’s Patients Have Muted Emotions

Perspective on Alzheimer's behavior.

clipped from www.alzheimersreadingroom.com “One important implication of this work is that when an Alzheimer’s patient appears emotionally blunted, the clinician or caregiver should not assume the patient is depressed and automatically treat with antidepressants, as other organic factors could be at work,” said Todd Feinberg, M.D., a professor of clinical neurology and psychiatry at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, who did not participate in the research. Watching a loved one struggle with Alzheimer’s disease can be a painful process, but for the patient, the experience may be a muted one. Alzheimer’s patients can appear withdrawn and apathetic, symptoms often attributed to their memory problems or difficulty finding the words to communicate.

Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room