Describe the different neurocognitive disorders. Indicate how to differentiate among the different neurocognitive disorders

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

DSM-5 indicates three categories of neurocognitive disorders: major neurocognitive disorder, mild neurocognitive disorder, and delirium. With each disorder the underlying medical circumstances causing the disorder is known. Neurocognitive disorders may be due to a specific medical condition, a substance-induced condition, or may result from multiple etiologies.

Major neurocognitive disorder involves deficits in one or more cognitive areas/domains (e.g., complex attention, decision making and judgment, learning and memory, visual perception, or social skills and behavior) and the degree of ability to independently meet the demands of daily living. Observation, interviews, and psychological or neuropsychological testing are utilized to identify skills that are impaired or lower than would be expected based on a person's age, gender, education, culture, and degree of functioning prior to symptoms.

Mild neurocognitive disorder also involves deficits in at least one major cognitive areas/domains, however the degree of severity is lesser than that seen in major neurocognitive disorder. Individuals with this disorder may struggle with familiar tasks or engage in compensatory strategies to function accordingly. Extra effort may be needed to function day to day, however overall independent functioning is not compromised as with major neurocognitive disorder. Overall, the main distinction between major and mild neurocognitive disorder is the severity of cognitive decline and decline in independent functioning. It is common for an individual to be first diagnosed with a mild neurocognitive disorder and as time passes and symptoms intensify an individual could be reassessed and diagnosed with major neurocognitive disorder.

The primary distinctions of delirium from major and mild neurocognitive disorders are that it is an acute state of confusion or cognitive impairment as well as its having a fluctuating course. Delirium is also characterized by diminished awareness, disorientation, and impaired attention skills. Delirium often develops rapidly (e.g. hours or days) and symptoms range from mild to severe. These symptoms can include impaired orientation, disorganized patterns of thinking, and psychotic symptoms (e.g. delusions, hallucinations). Delirium is common and treatment for this disorder involves determining the underlying cause of the delirium which could include conditions such as high fever, dehydration, intoxication, or brain changes associated with a neurocognitive disorder. Delirium can present in the context of a minor or major neurocognitive disorder or it can present independently from these disorders.