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P2–364: The changing face of the memory clinic in Sheffield, United Kingdom
Author(s) -
Blackburn Daniel,
Wakefield Sarah,
Walpole Peter,
Harkness Kirsty,
Reuber Markus,
Venneri Annalena
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1016/j.jalz.2013.05.1013
Subject(s) - memory clinic , dementia , context (archaeology) , mood , psychiatry , medicine , neuropsychology , memory impairment , pediatrics , psychology , cognition , cognitive impairment , disease , paleontology , biology
Background:There are approximately 800,000 people in the UK diagnosed with dementia. In 2009, the National Dementia Strategy (NDS) sought to improve awareness and access to services for the early diagnosis and support of this patient group 3, with a key aim of a memory clinic in every town. Data published by the Alzheimer Society (www.alzheimers.org.uk) suggest that 63% of people with dementia in Sheffield have been identified and diagnosed. This is one of the highest diagnosis rates in the UK. The memory clinics in Sheffield are divided into a clinic for patients older than 65 and run by old age psychiatry that sees >800 new referrals and the <65 or working age memory clinic run by neurologists, which sees >150 new referrals per year. In this study we reviewed whether raised awareness of dementia has altered the pattern of referrals to a memory clinic.Methods: Service review for all new referrals seen in the <65 memory clinic in Sheffield from 2004, 2006 (both 6 months) & 2012. Results: In 2004 and 2006 showed that approximately 1/3 of patients, whom had been given a diagnosis did not have dementia but had non-progressive memory complaints (either in the context of a mood disorder or Functional Memory disorder defined as subjective memory complaints of duration longer than 6 months, without organic or major psychiatric cause, normal brain imaging and neuropsychological tests of memory above 1.5 SD) but by 2012 this had increased to just over 50%. Conclusions: An early analysis confirms factors previously described in FMD such as work stress (in particular change in work pattern), chronic pain (back pain and migraine) and pre-morbid high achievement with a catastrophising misinterpretation of memory failures as the main triggers of non progressive memory disorders. Raised awareness of the early symptoms of dementia may be increasing the number of inappropriate referrals to memory services and suggests that more should be done to inform practitioners in primary care to achieve better triage. The current economic climate and impact on employment and financial hardship may be contributing to FMD and is also worthy of exploration.