The Millon Behavioral Medicine Diagnostic: Profiles of Dementia and Depression

Abstract

Dementia (or cognitive decline) either results in or causes changes in personality and treatment patterns as the person declines. From a sample of older adults with memory complaints who have varying problems of dementia, depression or both, we address two issues: (1) we provide a personality, stress moderator and treatment prognostic profile of older adults with and without dementia; and (2) we consider the question of the added influence of depression related to these variables. For question 1, older subjects (N=112) were disaggregated by dementia and non-dementia status; for question 2, the older adults (N=62) were further separated into those with a dementia, those who are depressed, and those with both dementia and depression. Patients were interviewed and self-report scales were given to all subjects. All patients had a caregiver. Cognitive and personality styles, treatment and stress markers, and Axis I variables, as well as background and adjustment, were measured. For dementia/non-dementia groups, results show that the dementia group was more detached, had more problems with depression and cognitive dysfunction, and showed less concerns about Informational Fragility. Of the three groups, the combined and dementia groups had the most problems, including more fixed personality features, more psychiatric problems, more stress moderators and more problematic treatment prognostics. We also show profiles of treatment prognostics and stress moderators of each personality type for a dementia, depression and dementia/depression. We highlight the importance of depression at later life whether with or without a dementia.