Do people with dementia know that they have dementia?
It depends on the type of dementia. If it’s a progressive, deteriorating type caused by Alzheimer’s or certain other brain diseases then people usually are aware of memory deficits and other cognitive problems in the early stages. Although they may deny it to others and use “confabulation” (making up stories to fill in memory gaps) they generally know something is wrong. As it progresses and becomes more severe they are usually oblivious to their condition. If it’s non-progressive and comes on suddenly such as in head trauma, strokes, exposure to toxins, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome from severe thiamine deficiency it depends on the severity. If it’s mild the person may be aware of their condition. If it’s severe they may not have any insight at all.
