Lost memories in the forest of the Mind
Written by Dr. Arun Bhat P., Consultant Psychiatrist Read time - 5 minutes Every year on September 21, we celebrate World Alzheimer's Day in order to create awareness, reduce stigma, and clear the misconceptions associated with Alzheimer’s Dementia. Dementia consists of a broad group of illnesses, of which Alzheimer’s dementia is also one and the most common. It is a chronic, slowly progressing illness that leads to the loss of many cognitive functions along with memory disturbances. Here's how people with dementia typically present to the clinic. An elderly couple in their 70s came to me for a consultation. The distressed wife recounted her sorrows like this: "Nowadays there is a significant change in my husband’s behaviour. I thought it was age-related forgetfulness at first. But it is much more severe, and it is gradually worsening. He keeps forgetting any new information. Within a few minutes of having food, he complains that I don’t give him any food. He