title: Is it dementia? Which one?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  People fear losing their identity or no longer being themselves. It can be devastating to see someone who spent their life with you turn into someone who looks like your loved one but who no longer recognises you and may be frightened, suspicious, hostile or violent.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This article gives practical guidelines with a recognition, definition and differential diagnosis of dementia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dementia may not be obvious to the individual, the family or their family doctor and should not be simply attributed to 'Alzheimer's'. Dementias can be confused with delirium or depression and the different dementias have different prognoses and different interventions.
authors.affiliation: Service Head, Geriatric Unit Flinders Medical Centre, South Australia.
authors.forename: Phil
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Popplewell
authors.forename: Pat
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Phillips
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003693:Delirium / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index