What is dementia?

What is dementia

Dementia is a physical illness that causes problems with memory,
thinking, speaking and doing. Physical changes in the structure of the
brain cause dementia. These changes can be seen on brain scans,
which can help in diagnosing dementia. You are not mentally ill, and
you are not going mad.
Several different conditions can cause dementia – Alzheimer’s
disease, vascular dementia, fronto-temporal dementia (including
Pick’s disease), dementia with Lewy bodies, and others.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia.
During the course of the disease, ‘plaques’ or ‘tangles’ develop in
the structure of the brain. These change the structure of the brain,
and lead to the death of brain cells. The brain also needs certain
neurotransmitters (chemicals that help messages travel through the
brain) to function properly. People with Alzheimer’s disease have a
shortage of some of these neurotransmitters.