{"id":329178,"date":"2025-12-22T03:58:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T03:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/329178\/"},"modified":"2025-12-22T03:58:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T03:58:10","slug":"which-depression-symptoms-may-predict-dementia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/329178\/","title":{"rendered":"Which depression symptoms may predict dementia?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"whiteShare on Pinterest<\/a>Midlife depression may predict dementia risk, a new study suggests. Image credit: Olga Pankova\/Getty ImagesIn 2021, about 57 million people globally were living with dementia.Researchers have identified a number of risk factors for dementia including specific health conditions such as depression during midlife.A new study has identified six specific depressive symptoms that, when experienced in midlife, may be the drivers behind increased dementia risk later in life.<\/p>\n

Now a new study recently published in the journal The Lancet Psychiatry<\/a> has identified six specific depressive symptoms that, when experienced in midlife, may be the drivers behind increased dementia risk later in life.<\/p>\n

For this study, researchers analyzed medical data from more than 5,800 middle-aged adult participants with an average of 55 from the Whitehall II study<\/a>, which was initiated in 1985. <\/p>\n

All study participants had depressive symptoms assessed from 1997-1999, and then had their health followed for 25 years. <\/p>\n

At the study\u2019s conclusion, scientists found that participants who had five or more depression symptoms in midlife had a 27% higher risk of developing dementia. <\/p>\n

However, researchers discovered the majority of that increased risk was powered by six specific depression symptoms: <\/p>\n

\u201cThe 27% higher risk confirms that depression in midlife is associated with dementia many years later, but on its own it doesn\u2019t tell the full story,\u201d Philipp Frank<\/a>, PhD, senior research fellow in the Division of Psychiatry at University College London, and lead author of this study, told Medical News Today.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s important is that this overall increase was not evenly distributed across all depressive symptoms. When we looked more closely, we found that the elevated risk was driven by a small subset of symptoms rather than depression as a single diagnosis,\u201d Frank added.<\/p>\n

When researchers analyzed their findings further, they also found that of the six depression symptoms, two of them \u2014 loss of self-confidence and difficulty coping with problems \u2014 were linked with an almost 50% increased dementia risk. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis finding is striking because it shows that some symptoms carry far more information about dementia risk than others,\u201d Frank said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese symptoms appear to be particularly important early markers of long-term dementia risk, long before a dementia diagnosis is made. This may also help explain why previous studies of depression and dementia have produced mixed results, as many have treated depression as a simple \u2018yes or no\u2019 diagnosis. Our study highlights the value of looking beyond diagnosis to specific symptom patterns.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013 Philipp Frank, PhD<\/p>\n

Frank said that these research findings may allow clinicians to move away from broad labels and toward more meaningful conversations about specific symptoms. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur study shows that not everyone with depression in midlife has a higher risk of developing dementia later in life; instead, the increased risk appears to be driven by a small number of specific symptoms,\u201d he explained. <\/p>\n

\u201cImportantly, some of the most commonly seen symptoms in both our study and routine clinical practice, such as low mood or sleep disturbances<\/a>, were not associated with increased dementia risk. Rather, the symptoms linked to dementia risk included loss of confidence, reduced ability to cope with problems, impaired social connections, and persistent nervousness,\u201d Frank noted. <\/p>\n

\u201cFocusing on issues like confidence, coping, and social engagement<\/a> opens the door to practical, supportive advice about mental and brain health, while reassuring patients that not everyone with depression is at higher risk of dementia,\u201d he told us. <\/p>\n

MNT had the opportunity to speak with Richard A. Bermudes<\/a>, MD, FCTMSS, psychiatrist, chief medical officer at BrainsWay, and founder and president of Empathy MindCare, about this study.<\/p>\n

Bermudes, who was not involved in the study, commented that its findings really highlights how closely mental health and brain health are connected. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen patients talk about things like losing confidence in themselves or having trouble concentrating \u2014 two of the specific symptoms this study identified \u2014 I don\u2019t think of those as just emotional symptoms,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think of them as signals that the brain itself may not be functioning at its best. This study reinforces that idea and reminds us that what\u2019s happening in the brain in midlife can matter many years down the line. The fact that researchers followed participants for over 2 decades makes these findings particularly compelling,\u201d Bermudes told MNT.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, this study adds weight to the idea that depression symptoms may reflect changes in brain circuits, not just mood,\u201d he continued. \u201cSome of the symptoms they identified, like difficulty concentrating or not feeling warmth and affection for others, line up with what we know about how certain brain networks function.\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cIt strengthens the case for thinking about depression through a brain-health lens and for taking a more proactive approach to supporting brain function earlier in life,\u201d Bermudes added.<\/p>\n

MNT also spoke with Kamal Wagle<\/a>, MD, MPH, CMD, DipABLM, AGSF, a geriatric medicine specialist at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, about this research.<\/p>\n

Wagle, who was likewise not involved in this study, commented that his initial reaction to the findings was one of optimistic caution. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a step forward to move from the general association between midlife depression and dementia to identifying a specific cluster of six predictive symptoms,\u201d Wagle told us.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis symptom-level approach offers a much clearer picture and could allow for more targeted interventions decades before dementia might develop. The finding that symptoms like losing self-confidence and difficulty concentrating are more predictive than low mood or sleep problems is particularly striking, as it refines our understanding and could help in identifying patients who may be more vulnerable,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese findings solidify the potential link between mental health and dementia risk by providing a more nuanced perspective,\u201d Wagle continued. \u201cInstead of viewing depression as a single, uniform condition, the study suggests that specific psychological experiences in midlife carry important information about long-term brain health.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cFor the next steps, it is crucial to see this research expanded to more diverse populations to confirm how broadly these findings apply, a point acknowledged by the researchers and external commentators,\u201d he added. \u201cFurther investigation is needed to understand if effectively treating these six specific symptoms in midlife can genuinely reduce later dementia risk.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Share on PinterestMidlife depression may predict dementia risk, a new study suggests. Image credit: Olga Pankova\/Getty ImagesIn 2021,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":329179,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[854,3275,102,1906,6623,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-329178","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-dementia","9":"tag-depression","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-mental-health","12":"tag-mentalhealth","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom","15":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=329178"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329178\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/329179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=329178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=329178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=329178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}