Mood or personality changes
Worried It's Alzheimer's? 8 Symptoms to Watch For: Page 3
By Paula Spencer Scott, Caring.com senior editor
Alzheimer's symptom #3: Marked changes in mood or personality
- Is the person who's usually assertive more subdued (or vice versa)? Has the person who's reserved become less inhibited (or vice versa)?
- Does she withdraw, even from family and friends, perhaps in response to problems with memory or communication?
- Has he developed mood swings, anxiety, or frustration, especially in connection with embarrassing memory lapses or noticeable communication problems?
- Has she developed uncharacteristic fears of new or unknown environments or situations, or developed a distrust of others, whether strangers or familiar people?
- Do you see signs of depression (including changes in sleep, appetite, mood)?
Mood shifts are a difficult sign to link decisively to Alzheimer's disease because age and any medical condition may spark changes in someone's mood, personality, or behavior. In combination with other Alzheimer's symptoms, however, changes such as those described above may contribute to a suspicion of the disease.
A person with Alzheimer's may also become restless and/or aggressive, but usually in later stages of the disease.
