Untangling Cultural Differences in Behavioral, Physiological, and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR; 4th ed. Revised; American Psychiatric Association) and (BPSD) there are many behavioral, physiological, and psychological issues that have been correlated with the progression of the Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Examples of these issues include; emotional regulation problems, variations in eating behavior, and an advancing decline in memory. Though certain symptoms of the disease seem to be widely universal, current literature shows that a number of disparities do exist. There are several differences between and within populations suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia that are influenced by various factors such as; culture, genetic predisposition, lifestyle, beliefs about aging, early life events, beliefs about treatment, and geographical region (Alzheimer Association 2012; Ayako et al., 2012; Flaskerud 2009)