Diagnosis

Clinical guideline which provides best practice advice on the care of adults with autism. The guidance covers the following key areas: general principles of care; identification and assessment; and interventions for autism, challenging behaviour, coexisting mental disorders. Assessment and interventions for families, partners and carers and organisation and delivery of care are also covered.

This review considers key areas in primary care regarding the diagnosis of dementia. Issues surrounding assessment, policy and incentives are considered. In addition, the relevance of non-medication approaches for dementia in primary care, which aim to enhance or maintain quality of life by maximising psychological and social function in the context of existing disabilities, is deliberated.

The Parkinson's Disease Society has produced a DVD, Being There, which aims to answer the questions and concerns of people newly diagnosed with the condition. Being There provides an insight into symptoms, treatments and life with Parkinson's in general, and includes interviews with people with Parkinson's, carers, and expert healthcare professionals The DVD is divided into four chapters: introduction to Parkinson's disease; treating Parkinson's; living with Parkinson's; and about the Parkinson's Disease Society.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects at least 1% of the population. There is an urgent need to improve healthcare of people with autism. Research shows that autistic people die on average 16 years earlier than the general population and this increases if they also have learning disabilities. This Autism Toolkit aims to be a 'one stop shop', a user-friendly guide to autism for primary care professionals, people affected by autism, clinical commissioning groups, as well as interested members of the general public.

A study by the National Institute for Social Work suggests that estimates can be made about the length of time that a person with dementia will need community and long term care services. This can be done based on an assessment of the severity of dementia at the time of the community care assessment. The author highlights the need for an appraisal of local old age psychiatry services and eligibility criteria, and the importance of monitoring carers' ability and willingness to provide care.

Objective: To gain insight into caregivers' understanding of the causes of behaviours they find problematic in people with Alzheimer's disease in order to inform the development of educational strategies.

Increasing evidence suggests that early diagnosis and management of dementia-related symptoms may improve the quality of life for patients and their families. However, individuals may wait from 1-3 years from the onset of symptoms before receiving a diagnosis. The objective of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of problem recognition, and the process of obtaining a diagnosis among individuals with early-stage dementia and their primary carers.

Objectives: There has been a global push towards the earlier diagnosis of dementia, but there is little understanding of the transitions along the assessment and diagnostic pathway from the perspective of people affected by memory problems, cognitive impairment and early dementia. This study explores the experience of the assessment and diagnostic pathway for people with cognitive impairment and their family carers.

Specialist mental health services for older people have grown rapidly and successfully over the past two decades, aiming to offer services that are comprehensive, accessible, responsive, individualised, multidisciplinary, accountable, and systematic. As with all mental health problems, the burden falls on primary care (where minor morbidity often goes undetected) and specialist services tend to be reserved for those conditions and patients where diagnosis and management is problematic.

Jean Georges and Dianne Gove present Alzheimer Europe’s newly drafted position on the disclosure of the diagnosis to people with dementia and carers