Relief Accompanies Alzheimer's Diagnosis

A research study from Washington University in St. Louis suggests that informing patients of their Alzheimer's or dementia diagnosis early improves the emotional well-being of both the patients and their caregiver. The study examined 90 individuals and their caregivers at the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at the university's School of Medicine, and confirmed that ". . . most patients, regardless of their degree of impairment, tend to experience a sense of relief after getting their diagnosis."

"'We undertook this study because we wanted there to be some data out there that addressed this question and that we could show to physicians and say, "Most of the people don't get depressed, upset and suicidal. So, this fear that you have about telling them and disturbing them is probably not legitimate for most people,"' says Brian Carpenter, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University."