Prime Time Living 6.18.25 - Flipbook - Page 6
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A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Wednesday, June 18, 2025
NEUROLOGICAL HEALTH
Dementia … or
something else?
Forgetfulness can be caused
by a host of factors
By Margit B. Weisgal, Contributing Writer
D
ementia. Just hearing the term while contemplating our future, worried on your breathing. Once you stop focusthat when you forget a name or can’t find the right word you’re looking
for, our first thought is, “Am I developing dementia?” There are many
other reasons a person may present with symptoms similar to Alzheimer’s Disease
or another form of dementia. Lapses can occur, they may be normal or be due to
another condition, so you should not jump to any conclusion.
Milap Nowrangi, M.D., M.S., is an
assistant professor of psychiatry and
behavioral sciences at The Johns
Hopkins University School of Medicine.
He specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of age-related cognitive disorders,
including Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and
related dementias. He also is interested
in neurological diseases, including those
caused by traumatic brain injury, stroke,
epilepsy or toxic exposures.
Because of his expertise, Dr.
Nowrangi is always current with information surrounding research and treatment
of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and other
dementias. Sometimes, however, a person can present with dementia due to
other causes. Most physicians will want
to first rule these out since they can be
managed more quickly and easily. There
is no particular order, just that these all
can look and feel like dementia – but
aren’t!
Depression or anxiety can cause similar symptoms to dementia. We can be
anxious and stressed due to circumstances in our lives that are transitory. In
those times, we will find we forget words
more quickly or can’t remember names
or can’t focus or concentrate, all of which
makes us even more anxious. The trick
here – and you don’t need a doctor to tell
you this – is to take a deep breath and
calm down. Calming breaths, in through
the nose, out through the mouth, will
force you to slow down and concentrate
ing on whatever was causing your stress,
you will often find that the missing word
or name will reappear.
“If you have depression or anxiety
and it is untreated,” says Nowrangi,
“it can seem like AD. It may be in your
best interest to consult with a doctor about anti-anxiety or antidepressant
treatments which may or may not include
pills. Sometimes a course of counseling or psychotherapy may be beneficial.
In other cases, increasing social activities and companionship may improve
depression or anxiety symptoms.
“Since our brains are composed of
circuits and networks, emotions and
cognitive systems need to work synchronously. When one is not working well, the
other will work less efficiently. So, when
you are feeling depressed or anxious,
you might notice that you are also having
trouble concentrating or remembering.
“Pseudo-dementia is a mood disorder
arising from untreated depression. A big
component of this is forgetfulness, loss
of drive, loss of focus and attention, and
loss of self-care. That’s why it can look
like AD. It can be treated with an antidepressant, which improves one’s mood
and can alleviate these symptoms.”
According to the American Thyroid
Association, “Hypothyroidism is an underactive thyroid gland. Hypothyroidism
means that the thyroid gland can’t make
enough thyroid hormone to keep the
body running normally. Hypothyroidism
can’t be cured. But in almost every
patient, hypothyroidism can be completely controlled. It is treated by replacing the amount of hormone that your
own thyroid can no longer make, to bring
your T4 and TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) levels back to normal.”
Nowrangi adds, “Hypothyroidism,
before it’s treated, can cause an inability
to learn things, mostly due to the low
thyroid hormone your body isn’t making,
so there is a lack of energy, focus and
concentration. Once you’re on medication, your symptoms should improve.
“Another big factor that may look like
dementia is dehydration, not drinking
enough liquids. Depending on where you
live, or the time of year, this can be a
problem. This can help prevent another
potential problem: urinary tract infec-
Dementia,
continued on page 22
