Cognitive Disorders

Simply speaking, there are three components to cognition: the ability to think, process and store information (memory), and the ability to solve problems. As we age, our bodies definitely slow down, and some come to the conclusion that our brains naturally slow down as well. But this is far from the case. Whenever problems arise with the three components of cognition, there is more at work than aging. In most cases cognitive disorders are to blame.

There are three types of cognitive disorders. They are delirium, dementia and amnesia.

Delirium -

his cognitive disorder has many symptoms, including quick changes in mental states, confusion, not knowing where or who you are, not recognizing changes around you, and thinking that is cluttered. Delirium can also cause changes in consciousness among several other cognitive symptoms.

Dementia -

A person with this disorder will normally have long or short term memory loss. They may misplace items, they may forget where they are, or even forget their name The patient could have trouble while driving, forgetting where they are or where they are trying to go. The patient may not be able to think abstractly.

Amnesia –

This disorder occurs when there is a loss of memory but no other cognitive symptoms are present.

Cognitive disorders can be caused by a wide variety of medical conditions. For instance: dementia of often caused by Alzheimer’s disease. These disorders can also be brought about by substance abuse such as alcoholism.

Treatments for cognitive disorders vary according to the cause of the disorder. In some cases, these disorders can be completely reversed by addressing the underlying medical condition. Sadly, in other cases, there is no cure for the underlying medical condition and patients sink further into a world and life heavily hindered by their disorder.

Src: www.wikipedia.org