glossary

dementia

Definition dementia

dementiaol

dementia n. a chronic or persistent disorder of the mental processes due to organic brain disease. It is marked by memory disorders, changes in personality, deterioration in personal care, impaired reasoning ability, and disorientation. Presenile dementia occurs in young or middle-aged people. The term is sometimes reserved for Alzheimer's disease and Pick's disease, but it is important to distinguish these conditions from those brain diseases for which curative treatment may be available.