DIFFERING PATTERNS OF PSYCHIATRIC IMPAIRMENT IN ALZHEIMER AND DEMENTED PARKINSONIAN-PATIENTS

Psychiatric symptoms were investigated and compared in 95 patients wit h Alz-heimer type dementia (DAT) and in 39 patients with Parkinson's d isease with dementia (PD-D). The diagnosis of the dementia and psychia tric disorders was based on DSM III R criteria; dementia stage was ass essed using the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR). PD-D were signif icantly older than DAT patients. Delirium was more frequent in the adv anced stages of both PD-D and DAT, being mainly of the hypoactive type in PD-D and the hyperactive type in DAT. Delusions and hallucinations predominated in the early CDR stages of both illnesses and did not di ffer between groups; the same was true for depression. The results rev ealed different psychopathological profiles in DAT and PD-D patients.