Depression is more common than dementia

Although the chances of developing dementia increase as we get older, depression is actually a more common condition for people over the age of 65 than dementia. Because depression affects people's get up and go, making them apathetic and confused it can be wrongly labelled as early dementia.

An important distinction is that although depression and dementia both affect a person's ability to think clearly, there tends to be a greater variation in this for people with depression than for people with dementia. 

Also when someone is depressed they are aware and may complain about this confusion, people with dementia are less likely to be aware or able to talk about their confusion. A handy distinction is that although someone with depression may become confused and forgetful and mislay objects such as car keys, someone with dementia will lose an understanding of what car keys are actually for.

People who have dementia can become depressed and this may happen before their dementia has been recognised. Even if depression is caused by or linked to dementia it can still be treated and each condition needs to be recognised and treated individually.

Visit the depression and dementia sections for more detailed information on each condition.