Psychiatrist named five home tests for early detection of dementia

To detect the initial signs of dementia, you can use simple, proven tests that are easy to perform at home with a pencil and a piece of paper. On January 29, a psychiatrist, candidate of medical sciences, and expert of the Dementia social project told Izvestia about this.net Maria Shtan.

According to her, early symptoms of cognitive impairment are often disguised as ordinary absent-mindedness, so it is important to use techniques with proven effectiveness.

One of the simplest and most visual ways to check is the "Clock" test. A person is asked to draw a dial with all the numbers and draw the hands indicating a specific time. Difficulties with completing a task — an uneven circle, numbers that are crowded or out of bounds, incorrect length or position of the arrows — may indicate visual and spatial impairments that often accompany cognitive disorders.

"Phonetic and semantic activity tests are used to assess speech and vocabulary. In the first case, you need to name as many words as possible for a certain letter in a minute, for example, "C" (proper names do not count). The norm for the elderly is considered to be 12 or more words. The result is below normal, long pauses or repetitions may indicate vascular brain damage," said Shtan.

In the second test, you need to list as many animals, plants, or pieces of furniture as possible in a minute. The norm is from 12, optimally — more than 15 words. This test is sensitive to the work of the temporal lobes of the brain, where the hippocampus is located, damage to which underlies Alzheimer's disease.

For a more comprehensive self-diagnosis, the doctor recommends the Mcner and Kahn questionnaire, consisting of 24 questions that assess memory, clarity of thinking and the ability to cope with everyday tasks. It can be combined with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale to distinguish true cognitive impairment from symptoms simulated by emotional disorders.

Stan recommends that such checks be carried out annually for all people over the age of 65. Early detection of changes allows you to adjust your lifestyle in time and slow down the development of the disease.

"If the tests raise doubts or show an ambiguous result, it is necessary to schedule a consultation with a neurologist, psychiatrist or gerontologist. These checks are only a screening step and do not replace making a diagnosis, but they help to avoid missing the onset of the disease when modern therapy can be most effective," the psychiatrist concluded.

On November 25, 2025, Science Daily magazine reported on the ability of tea and cocoa to protect the heart from the harm of prolonged sitting. It was clarified that flavanols contained in drinks, as well as in apples and berries, help protect blood vessels from the negative effects of prolonged sitting.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.