Alzheimer s Disease And Its Relationship With Personality

Alzheimer’s Disease and its Relationship with Personality By: Kristen Hughes The point of this literature review is to explore the relationship that Alzheimer’s disease has with one’s personality. There are many changes that happen to a person as they age, a lot of which are considered a normal part of aging. Being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease is not one of those changes that is considered normal (Hoyer Roodin, 2009). Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a form of dementia that is characterized by the progressive deterioration in both cognitive and body functions (Hoyer Roodin, 2009). Alzheimer’s disease currently has no cure, but treatments are available. Patients suffering from AD also go through changes in their personality and†¦show more content†¦There are many different ways that Alzheimer’s disease can affect your personality. Alzheimer’s patients can show more aggression as the disease progresses, and can also show less emotional control. A lot of personality changes that are seen in Alzheimerâ €™s patients are negative changes (Talassi et al., 2006). Alzheimer’s disease can also be seen to make people more paranoid. Dr. Fernando Bà ³zzola, Dr. Philip Gorelick and Dr. Sally Freels conducted a study about the changes in personality that can be seen in Alzheimer’s patients. In their study 80 Alzheimer’s patients had their personalities profiled and had their results compared to a control group. They used the Blessed Dementia Scale to conduct the personality profiles. It was found that almost all the Alzheimer’s patients showed a changes in rigidity, a relinquishment of hobbies and diminished initiative (Bà ³zzola, Gorelick, Freels, 1992). This study also used input from caregivers of the 80 patients to determine more personality changes. This is because the caregivers are around the patients the most and should be able to better identify the changes that are taking place. The results confirm that Alzheimer’s disease as an effect on a person’s personality. Another study on Alzheimer’s patients and personality changes was done by Dr. Chatterjee and colleagues, and used the caregivers of AD patients as a source of information. The study found that the Alzheimer’s patients were