7 Signs of Mental Illness Doctors Miss  Encouraging steps forward in the world of Alzheimer’s care—no question—but diagnosing Alzheimer’s still isn’t easy. Distinguishing between plain old forgetfulness and mild cognitive impairment (MCI)—a noticeable decline in cognitive function that indicates a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s—during your annual checkup isn’t a quick or simple task, particularly during a short appointment when you likely have other questions for your doc.  “Typical [cognitive] assessments can take 5 to 7 minutes, and a lot of primary care doctors have 15 to 20 minutes at the most to spend with a patient,” says Michael Malek-Ahmadi, MSPH, from the Banner Sun Health Research Institute in Sun City, Arizona. That’s why Malek-Ahmadi and his team created a new questionnaire to give doctors a quick and easy way to determine whether someone needs to have additional cognitive testing done. The new Alzheimer’s Questionnaire consists of 21 yes or no questions that are meant to be directed to the patient’s family member or caretaker. Four questions in particular can help distinguish between cognitively normal people and those who have MCI, says Malek-Ahmadi: 

  1. Does the patient repeat questions or stories in the same day?
  2. Does she have trouble knowing what day, date, month, or time it is?
  3. Does the patient have trouble paying bills or doing finances? Are other family members taking over these duties because of concerns about her ability? 
  4. Is the patient showing a decreased sense of direction?  More testing is needed before the questionnaire can be widely recommended, but the initial findings were promising, showing that the questions were able to distinguish between patients with MCI and those experiencing normal “senior moments.” Malek-Ahmadi cautions that the questionnaire is designed to be used by physicians—not for self-diagnosis—and is intended to suggest if additional testing is needed, not to diagnose.  For more information, including 10 warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease, go to the Alzheimer’s Association.  Also see: 10 Ways to Keep Your Mind Sharp, Care for Caregivers, The Health Mistake Too Many Americans Make