Study for the NCMHCE DSM-5 Disorders Test. Use flashcards and multiple choice questions. Each question includes hints and explanations. Prepare for success!

Multiple Choice

Which symptom is typical of Alzheimer's disease?

Alzheimer's disease tends to begin with memory impairment, especially for newly learned information, and as it progresses, people become disoriented in time and place and develop language difficulties such as trouble finding words. This combination—memory problems with disorientation and language difficulties—is characteristic of the illness in its early to middle stages. The other patterns don’t fit: an early memory improvement isn’t consistent with a degenerative course; visual hallucinations as an initial or sole symptom are more typical of Lewy body dementia; and a rapid motor decline without memory loss isn’t typical of Alzheimer's, where cognitive symptoms, especially memory, predominate early.

Alzheimer's disease tends to begin with memory impairment, especially for newly learned information, and as it progresses, people become disoriented in time and place and develop language difficulties such as trouble finding words. This combination—memory problems with disorientation and language difficulties—is characteristic of the illness in its early to middle stages. The other patterns don’t fit: an early memory improvement isn’t consistent with a degenerative course; visual hallucinations as an initial or sole symptom are more typical of Lewy body dementia; and a rapid motor decline without memory loss isn’t typical of Alzheimer's, where cognitive symptoms, especially memory, predominate early.