Imagine what it would be like to look at the faces of your family members and friends and not know who they are. How would it feel to wake up each morning and find that another piece of your mind had slipped away? What would you do if you could not remember the simplest things, like whether you should get out of bed in the mornings or how to brush your hair? Cognitive disorders like Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia are devastating, not only to the individuals who suffer from them, but to those individuals' families and friends as well. These disorders have become serious topics of research and discussion. Helping patients, caretakers, families, and friends understand what can be done to ease the symptoms of cognitive disorders is a very important part of care. In this book, you will learn about cognitive disorders, what it is like to have them, and how they can be treated. Along the way, you will read about drugs that can help with symptoms like depression, panic, and hallucinations, all of which can be caused by cognitive disorders. In addition, you will learn about some alternative treatments for cognitive disorders and the possible risks and side effects that accompany different forms of treatment. Coauthored by someone who has experience first-hand the early stages of Alzheimer's, this book will give you an up-close view of what can be done to help individuals with these often-devastating forms of mental illness.
