New evidence for a biological pathway to mental health problems in dementia caregivers

Consider the case of a 62-year-old woman, Linda, whose spouse was recently diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. In addition to the regular challenges of adjusting to post-retirement life, Linda faces a myriad of potentially stressful caregiving-related exposures. She now oversees an increasingly complex medical regime for her husband, yet only sees his decline; she often experiences intrusive thoughts about his health; she is woken at night due to her husband's problems sleeping; her relationship is strained due to his inability to recognize her emotional states; she fears he will walk off during the day and get lost; and as a result, she withdraws from her usual social activities.
Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry - Category: Geriatrics Authors: Tags: Invited Perspective Source Type: research