The Link Between Mental Illness and Dementia

I think many women live with this fear in the back of our minds: Will I develop Alzheimer’s? As we age, we are especially cognizant of times when we misplace our keys only to have them turn up in unexpected places or when we can’t find the word we want to use for the umpteenth time. We are especially wary if there is a family history of the disease. My maternal grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), only back then they referred to it as hardening of the arteries.

More women are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s than men, in part because we live longer. One study found that “incidence rates of any dementia and AD were greater in women than men, with any dementia rates diverging after age 85 and AD rates diverging around 80. This pattern is consistent with women’s survival to older ages compared to men.”

The fear of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s can be especially concerning if we live alone, are unmarried, and have no children. (For more, see Apprehension About Aging Alone.) What will happen to us? Will we end up in some nursing home alone and forgotten? This is the stuff that nightmares are made of.

A new concern is emerging, though, as research examines the complex link between mental health and neurological disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. The evidence suggests that having a mental illness is a risk factor for developing different forms of dementia,…