Britt Jones
A person who was diagnosed with dementia at 20 years old revealed the one thing they noticed first, that led to them seeking help.
There are several reasons why someone would develop dementia, but it’s also something that is still being researched as it’s not 100 per cent understood.
One of those things that is a topic that needs more research is early onset dementia- which occurs in younger people.
While it’s rare, this type of dementia can happen at any age, causing the person’s condition to slowly worsen in their cognitive functioning.
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With the Cleveland Clinic listing symptoms like forgetfulness, trouble with speech, and finding it hard to articulate thoughts, it can make life very hard for those impacted.
For one social media user who was diagnosed at 20, they ‘never expected dementia’, but there was one minor sign that was hiding in plain sight prior to their diagnosis.
A Reddit user has revealed the one thing they noticed that led to them being told they have dementia, writing on the platform: “I’m 20 years old and was recently diagnosed with early-onset dementia. It still feels unreal typing that out. Most people my age are thinking about college, careers, relationships — not memory tests and neurologists.”
They explained that ‘some days are normal’, whilst ‘other days are confusing, frustrating, and honestly scary.’
They shared they are 'still figuring out what this means for my future and how to live with it instead of constantly fearing it’, but welcomed any questions.
When someone was curious about how the diagnosis process all started, they were open in revealing that the first sign was a simple one.
“The first thing I noticed wasn’t dramatic,” they began, revealing that ‘it was small, constant lapses’ that began to happen.
“Forgetting conversations I’d just had. Re-reading messages and not remembering sending them. Walking into rooms and having no idea why, more often than what felt ‘normal,’” they continued.
The person wrote that the forgetting wasn’t the ‘worst’ part of the symptoms- it was ‘realizing it wasn’t stress or lack of sleep.’
They explained: “When it started affecting school/work, and people around me noticed before I did, that’s when it really hit. That’s when I knew something wasn’t right.”
According to the National Institutes of Health, dementia affects more than 6 million people in the US and also accounts for more than 100,000 deaths each year.
Usually, a person’s risk factor for developing the condition increases as you age, for example: 42 per cent after age 55, 4 per cent by age 75 and 20 per cent by age 85.
Research has found that the majority of the risk occurred after 85.
However, men (48 per cent) are more at risk than women (35 per cent).