Down syndrome and dementia: Is depression a confounder for accurate diagnosis and treatment?

Title
Down syndrome and dementia: Is depression a confounder for accurate diagnosis and treatment?
Publication Date
2014
Author(s)
Wark, Stuart
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5366-1860
Email: stuart.wark@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:swark5
Hussain, Rafat
Parmenter, Trevor
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Sage Publications Ltd
Place of publication
United Kingdom
DOI
10.1177/1744629514552152
UNE publication id
une:16409
Abstract
The past century has seen a dramatic improvement in the life expectancy of people with Down syndrome. However, research has shown that individuals with Down syndrome now have an increased likelihood of early onset dementia. They are more likely than their mainstream peers to experience other significant co morbidities including mental health issues such as depression. This case study reports a phenomenon in which three individuals with Down syndrome and dementia are described as experiencing a rebound in their functioning after a clear and sustained period of decline. It is hypothesized that this phenomenon is not actually a reversal of the expected dementia trajectory but is an undiagnosed depression exaggerating the true level of functional decline associated with the dementia. The proactive identification and treatment of depressive symptoms may therefore increase the quality of life of some people with Down syndrome and dementia.
Link
Citation
Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 18(4), p. 305-314
ISSN
1744-6309
1744-6295
Start page
305
End page
314

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