Dementia

Dementia is a clinical “syndrome,” not a diagnosis. It is also called major neurocognitive disorder, to distinguish it from Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) which is also known as mild neurocognitive disorder. To classify someone as having a dementia syndrome, they must fulfill current diagnostic criteria:

• Acquired cognitive impairments
• Functional impairment
• No major neuropsychiatric illness such as delirium, depression or psychosis that can explain the disorder

For the purposes of this step in the algorithm, you have determined that someone fulfills the criteria for a dementia syndrome. If not, you may have Abnormal Cognition that is NOT acquired, or that occurs without function impairment (as in Mild Cognitive Impairment), or that occurs in the setting of Other Major Neuropsychiatric Illness.