Coping with an Alzheimer’s or Dementia Diagnosis
If you’ve been diagnosed with dementia, you may feel anger, shock, fear about how your memory and personality may change in the future, or profound sadness and grief at the loss of the life you knew. You may find that a diagnosis has a negative effect on your self-esteem or you feel stigmatized as others start to treat you differently. You may also feel isolated, cut off from even those people closest to you who are unable to understand what you’re going through. Denial or a refusal to accept this is happening can also be common reactions. Some people even feel relief after a diagnosis, glad that they finally know what’s wrong and can plan ahead. Most likely, you’ll experience a mix of these conflicting emotions—sometimes all at once. The emotional turmoil following a diagnosis can even trigger depression or anxiety.
Original Article Source Credits: Help Guide , https://www.helpguide.org/
Article Written By: Lawrence Robinson and Melinda Smith, M.A.
Original Article Posted on: February 2020
Link to Original Article: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/alzheimers-dementia-aging/coping-with-an-alzheimers-or-dementia-diagnosis.htm