Ethical Issues Relating to Dimension

By: Kate Borkowski JD, Arrow Fiduciary Services

Recently, Dr. Elizabeth E. Hathaway, MD, a Geriatric Psychiatry Fellow at the Indiana University School of Medicine presented on the ethical issues related to dementia.

Takeaway: Memory loss is not the only symptom of dementia. Pay attention to new extreme behaviors. If you see three or more of the following, you need to refer your client to a geriatric specialist for testing.

• Early behavioral disinhibition
• Early apathy or inertia
• Early loss of sympathy or empathy
• Early perseverative, stereotyped, or compulsive/ritualistic behavior
• Hyperorality, dietary changes
• Neuropsychological profile: executive/generation deficits, relative sparing of memory and visuospatial

Here is an example of a Psychiatrist who unknowingly had behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia. He ended up in prison for becoming a drug dealer.