How To Spot Pick's Disease (Frontotemporal Dementia)

Neurological Changes

Similar to Alzheimer’s and other neurological conditions, one of the first and predominant symptoms of Pick’s is advanced memory loss. Unfortunately, the patient may begin to forget family and friends, places, things, and memories they have had their whole life. Similar to the previous symptoms, there are numerous behavioral and emotional changes the patient will experience. Behavioral signs include impulsivity and poor judgment, restlessness, overeating or drinking, repetitive or obsessive behavior (OCD), decreased interest in daily activities, lack of personal hygiene, sexual exhibitionism or promiscuity, inability to plan things, and a decline in function at work and home.

Neurological Changes: Emotional Signs

Emotional signs of Pick’s disease include abrupt mood changes, apathy, a lack of empathy or concern for others, rudeness, impatience, aggression, easily distracted with a poor attention span, and individuals are often unaware of these changes in their behavior. Specifically, a patient’s sudden and frequent mood changes will be one of the most noticeable emotional signs of the disorder, as a person with frontotemporal dementia might be sad and depressed one moment, then joyous and euphoric not long after. Many of them have erratic and unpredictable mood changes that occur due to the progressive changes in the brain.