Clinical Psychological Assessment of Dementia

, Dai-Seg Bai; , Ph.D.

Review Article

Journal of Korean Society of Geriatric Neurosurgery 2007;3(1):8-24.
Published online June 30, 2007.

Clinical Psychological Assessment of Dementia

Dai-Seg Bai , Ph.D.

Division of Clinical Psychology of Psychiatry, Yeungnam University Hospital, Daegu, Korea

치매의 임상심리학적 평가

배 대 석

영남대학교 의과대학 정신과 임상심리실

Abstract

Evaluation of dementia is not a simple assessment of cognitive domains in the old age. It is more complex than other evaluation processes in the adult and adolescent, multiple test and informants are needed, but the information from patient with dementia is restricted and not valid. So, informations from the care givers are very important and essential, but also evaluate the burden of the care giver, oneself. So I called this evaluation process in dementia or the old age, as Clinical Psychological Assessment. I review the test used for evaluating dementia or the old age, from screening test, to computerized neurocognitive function test for dementia. Some tests, like MMSE, are very frequently used to screen dementia, other tests or scales, like CDR & GDS, may seem very simple, but very difficult to administrate and score within standard process and to acquire valid results. Test selection, admi- nistration, scoring and interpretation process are not simple, but very difficult and more knowledge, training education for each test are required.

Key Words: Dementia, Clinical PsychologyㆍAssessment