Mental Illness Tied to Increased Dementia Risk!
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Mental disorders in early life are associated with a significantly increased risk of dementia in later years. Results of a large, longitudinal, population-based study show that individuals hospitalized for a mental health disorder had a fourfold increased relative risk (RR) for developing dementia compared to those who were not hospitalized with a mental illness. In addition, those with dementia plus a mental disorder developed dementia almost 6 years earlier than those without a mental illness.
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@sohini The findings were consistent among men and women, in patients with early- and late-onset dementia, in those with Alzheimer's and non-Alzheimer's dementia, and across all mental health disorders — and remained so after accounting for preexisting physical illness and socioeconomic factors. Previous research suggests mental disorders may "comprise an underappreciated category of modifiable risk factors." However, those studies focused primarily on midlife and older individuals, not on capturing mental disorders during young adulthood, which is the time of "peak prevalence," they add. In addition, most studies have not explored the full range of mental disorders.