Impaired cognition means that the brain can no longer process information as well as it did in the past. Judgment and interactions with other people can be limited or inappropriate. Both organic mental problems and mood disorders will be discussed in more detail. All dementias are associated with specific changes in the brain. Mild dementia includes memory loss of the more recent events such as forgetting new names and telephone numbers, as well as forgetting events of the day.
Severe dementia includes a reduced ability to remember names and recall long term events.
During the course of the dementia, judgment and control may become worse. Some dementias can be alleviated or reduced by medications. When the loss of cognitive function cannot be alleviated, some individuals become anxious, depressed, or possibly paranoid. Complications of dementia include wandering and a feeling of being lost. He recognized that it was a specific clinical and pathological disease separate from other forms of dementia.