Depression and Dementia.

Those with late-life depression are 1.85 times more likely to develop all-cause dementia, 1.65 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, and 2.52 times more likely develop vascular dementia. The phrase “all-cause dementia” refers to all dementia syndromes, the most common of which is Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60-80% of all dementia cases. Alzheimer’s is associated with memory problems and apathy in early stages, and impaired judgement, confusion, disorientation, behavior changes, and difficulty speaking in later stages. Vascular dementia is the second most common cause of dementia, and is associated with impaired judgment or ability to plan and complete tasks, as opposed to memory loss that is common in early stages of Alzheimer’s.

British Journal of Psychiatry, May 2013