ALZHEIMER’S AND DEPRESSION

Throughout his life, Ronald Reagan had plenty of victories on the campaign trail. But he lost what was his last battle in life, the battle against Alzheimer’s disease. It is condition against which noone wins, at least for now. And the latest research shows this problem is often accompanied by another overwhelming condition, depression.

Throughout his life, Ronald Reagan had plenty of victories on the campaign trail. But he lost what was his last battle in life, the battle against Alzheimer’s disease. It is condition against which none wins, at least for now. And the latest research shows this problem is often accompanied by another overwhelming condition, depression.

Depression and Alzheimer’s go hand in hand, and often one is mistaken for the other. Now, it’s clear that not only can depression be a symptom of Alzheimer’s disease, but it can also frankly co-exist. Recognizing the depression and treating it can help these patients in the twilight of their lives, like Mary Ruggieri.

“My mother was had a very strong personality. I always remember her being busy having her life and being involved in things,” says Lorraine Ruggieri, Mary’s daughter. Lorraine Ruggieri watched, and cared for her mother Mary, who slowly succumbed to Alzheimer’s disease and the complicating depression that came with it. “She would begin to repeat things and be forgetful but it was actually mild in the beginning,” states Lorraine. “She was irritable, she was sad, she was angry, she was depressed, she talked about morbid things, she was preoccupied with the past, she was suspicious of neighbors.”

Mary’s case is hardly unusual. New research shows older patients with full blown depression but no signs of senility eventually go on to develop full blown Alzheimer’s in many cases. Around one out of four depressed patients in their early seventies go on to develop Alzheimer’s. The number is even higher in those older than that.

Dr. Barry Reisberg, Clinical Director of the Silberstein Alzheimer’s Research Center at New York University Medical Center, says, “We now believe that depression is associated with nerve cell loss in the brain with a phenomenon known as progress. Cell death, nerve cell loss is also a characterization of Alzheimer’s disease. So depression and Alzheimer’s may converge in that way.” He states if an older person has depression, it is a tip-off of possible dementia in the future. “Elderly people are not depressed the vast majority of elderly people are not depressed,” instructs Dr. Reisberg.

President Reagan knew he had Alzheimer’s early on. That realization, Dr. Reisberg says, can cause an Alzheimer’s patient to become depressed. Fortunately, the typical antidepressants work in Alzheimer’s patients experiencing depression, both in the early and later stages of Alzheimer’s. But treatment of depression should not be limited to only medications. “They really need excellent counselors who can provide them with activities that area appropriate for their level,” says Reisberg.

Hopefully, these treatments will give them and their loved ones a chance to enjoy each other as long as possible. “Each moment is a blessing each thought is a blessing,” claims Lorraine.