Arguments for abandoning the term pseudodementia

Abstract

The term pseudodementia should be avoided in clinical practice. Its importance lies in the fact that it has alerted clinicians to the existence of potentially reversible, or at least treatable, cases of intellectual dysfunction. However, two major problems are associated with its use. First, it implies that the patient has either an organic or a functional illness, whereas many patients have elements of both, especially when depression is superimposed on a true dementia. Second, the term is often mistakenly used diagnostically, whereas it is only descriptive. The term cognitive impairment is preferable to pseudodementia.