# (TRIGGER WARNING) anxiety and dementia



## didep (Jul 1, 2011)

Share an article that relates anxiety to dementia. I wonder if besides having anxiety, depression and Derealization as in my case, there will be even more likely to get dementia.

The scientists followed over one thousand twins in Sweden over 28 years.

People who have experienced high levels of anxiety in their lives have a 48% higher risk of developing dementia.

Dr Andrew Petkus, who led the new study, said:



> "Anxiety, especially in older adults, has been relatively understudied compared to depression.
> 
> Depression seems more evident in adulthood, but it's usually episodic.
> 
> Anxiety, though, tends to be a chronic lifelong problem, and that's why people tend to write off anxiety as part of someone's personality."


The scientists followed over one thousand twins in Sweden over 28 years.

Each pair were tested every three years and screened for dementia symptoms.

Amongst identical twins, it was the more anxious of the pair that was at a higher risk of developing dementia.

This is the first study to find a link between anxiety and a higher risk of developing dementia.

Professor Margaret Gatz, a co-author of the study, described those in the high-anxiety group:



> "They are people who you would say operate at a 'high level of anxiety'.
> 
> They are frantic, frazzled people.
> 
> Those in the high anxiety group were about 1.5 times more likely to develop dementia."


The link between anxiety and dementia could be a result of cortisol - the so-called 'stress hormone' - damaging the brain.

There may also be genetic factors that help explain the link.

The study was published in the journal _Alzheimer's & Dementia_ (Petkus et al., 2015).


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## Alan (Jan 26, 2015)

You could get struck by a meteor going out your front door, you wouldn't really know, but worrying about it won't really help.

Unless you're over say, mid 50s or a seriously heavy alcoholic the chances of you getting dementia right now are pretty low, and you're just serving to compound any health anxiety that you have.

If you suffer from DPDR, you more than likely suffer from health anxiety, not dementia.


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## didep (Jul 1, 2011)

tathata said:


> You could get struck by a meteor going out your front door, you wouldn't really know, but worrying about it won't really help.
> 
> Unless you're over say, mid 50s or a seriously heavy alcoholic the chances of you getting dementia right now are pretty low, and you're just serving to compound any health anxiety that you have.
> 
> If you suffer from DPDR, you more than likely suffer from health anxiety, not dementia.


I think that in the long term has to have some consequence for being with anxiety, depression and dp / dr for years.


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## sunjet (Nov 21, 2014)

I don't like this study plus I think those people most at risk of developing dementia are prone to higher than average levels of anxiety earlier in their life. It's the other way around.


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## aworthycause (Mar 22, 2010)

didep said:


> I think that in the long term has to have some consequence for being with anxiety, depression and dp / dr for years.


Worrying like that won't help you recover from DP. If it's bound to happen, it will happen. If not, you will improve your chances at future health by thinking more positively now.


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## didep (Jul 1, 2011)

aworthycause said:


> Worrying like that won't help you recover from DP. If it's bound to happen, it will happen. If not, you will improve your chances at future health by thinking more positively now.


Yes, maybe you're right. But I can not think positively.


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## aworthycause (Mar 22, 2010)

didep said:


> Yes, maybe you're right. But I can not think positively.


Not with that attitude! 

But seriously. That's exactly the kind of negative thought you can turn around. Try "I'm not currently used to thinking positively, but I can start, and do it more and more often."


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## Alex617 (Sep 23, 2015)

I tend to see that people with actual dementia don't know or aren't overly bothered by the fact. Another case of "Do I have psychosis?", well no since if you had it you wouldn't be aware of having it without extensive therapy. So nothing to worry about honestly.

That being said, untamed anxiety can lead to changes in the brain, such as a reduction in hypocampus matter. Just have to relax, a paradox if I ever heard of one.


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## Guest (Dec 22, 2015)

There is truly no correlation between anxiety and early onset dementia.... There is however a correlation between long term benzo use and early onset dementia. But most of you don't have to worry about that. Anxiety is just a feeling, it can't cause tissue degeneration in your brain.


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## simonmagus (Jan 6, 2016)

to be realistic (a little like the meteor comment) dementia is still a condition that statistically occurs post-middle-age, and as such should not provoke as much undue worry as some other more likely complications of anxiety. Personally I am aware of arterial plaques and shortened telomere length (the "shoelaces" that hold together DNA) but I approach this positively in trying to now live as healthily as I can, eg. don't smoke or drink excessively. Eat healthily, excercise daily, try to keep a regular sleep routine, do not isolate yourself from friends or family.


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## Gadgirl (Feb 5, 2016)

I generally think I have dementia half the time anxiety has screwed my brain I totally forgot that my friend had another son. Was really stressed out that I couldn't remember


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## 707 (Mar 1, 2017)

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## 707 (Mar 1, 2017)

-- If one can recover from something such as a stroke, one can recover from depression, dpdr, and anxiety.


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