DEMENTIA-DEFINITION

SUMMARY

The Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5) refers to dementia under the heading of ‘Major neurocognitive disorder’. The diagnostic criteria for dementia under DSM-5 include the following:

1. Evidence of significant cognitive decline from a previous level of performance in one or more cognitive domains (i.e. complex attention, executive function, learning and memory, language, perceptual-motor or social cognition – the role of cognition in understanding and responding appropriately to social interactions) based on:
- concern of the individual, a knowledgeable informant or the clinician that there has been a significant decline in cognitive function
- a substantial impairment in cognitive performance, preferably documented by standardized neuropsychological testing or, in its absence, another quantified clinical assessment.

2. The cognitive deficits interfere with independence in everyday activities (i.e. at a minimum, requiring assistance with complex instrumental activities of daily living such as paying bills or managing medications).

3. The cognitive deficits do not occur exclusively in the context of a delirium.

4. The cognitive deficits are not better explained by another mental disorder (eg major depressive disorder, schizophrenia).

Reference(s)

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 5th edn. Washington DC: APA, 2013. [Accessed 12 August 2019].

Wilkinson, I., Furmedge, D. and Sinharay, R. (2017). Oxford handbook of clinical medicine. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Get it on Amazon.
Feather, A., Randall, D. and Waterhouse, M. (2020). Kumar And Clark’s Clinical Medicine. 10th ed. S.L.: Elsevier Health Sciences. Get it on Amazon.
Hannaman, R. A., Bullock, L., Hatchell, C. A., & Yoffe, M. (2016). Internal medicine review core curriculum, 2017-2018. CO Springs, CO: MedStudy.
Therapeutic Guidelines. Melbourne: Therapeutic Guidelines Limited. https://www.tg.org.au [Accessed 2021].