This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Bassett, S. S. Articles by Folstein, M. F. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Bassett, S. S. Articles by Folstein, M. F. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Memory Complaint, Memory Performance, and Psychiatric Diagnosis: A Community Study

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.

Marshal F. Folstein, MD

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.

This study examined the prevalence of memory complaint and poor memory performance on brief screening measures within a community sample of 810 adults. All individuals received an extensive household interview and a clinical psychiatric evaluation. Overall, 22% indicated that they currently had trouble with their memory. This percentage increased with age, rising to 43% for those 65 to 74 years old, 51% for those 75 to 84 years old, and 88% for those 85 years of age and older; the percentage indicating memory problems decreased with educational attainment. The prevalence of poor memory performance was 11%, also increasing with less education and increased age, rising to 26% for those 65 to 74 years old and to 40% for those older then 75. Those who complained of memory trouble were twice as likely to show poor memory performance (29%) compared with those who did not complain (15%). Multivariate analysis found age, emotional distress, and physical illness to be independent predictors of memory complaint; age, functional disability, education, and physical illnesses proved to be independently associated with poor memory performance. A higher prevalence of complaints of memory trouble was found not only for those with affective disorders, as might be expected, but also among those with schizophrenic, cognitive, anxiety, and adjustment disorders. However, only individuals with cognitive disorders showed a higher prevalence of poor memory performance.

Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology, Vol. 6, No. 2, 105-111 (1993)
DOI: 10.1177/089198879300600207


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. J. Mitchell Is it time to separate subjective cognitive complaints from the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment? Age Ageing, September 1, 2008; 37(5): 497 - 499. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B Miranda, S Madureira, A Verdelho, J Ferro, L Pantoni, E Salvadori, H Chabriat, T Erkinjuntti, F Fazekas, M Hennerici, et al. Self-perceived memory impairment and cognitive performance in an elderly independent population with age-related white matter changes J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, August 1, 2008; 79(8): 869 - 873. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Holsinger, J. Deveau, M. Boustani, and J. W. Williams Jr Does This Patient Have Dementia? JAMA, June 6, 2007; 297(21): 2391 - 2404. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Ercoli, P. Siddarth, S.-C. Huang, K. Miller, S. Y. Bookheimer, B. C. Wright, M. E. Phelps, and G. Small Perceived loss of memory ability and cerebral metabolic decline in persons with the apolipoprotein E-IV genetic risk for Alzheimer disease. Arch Gen Psychiatry, April 1, 2006; 63(4): 442 - 448. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. H.T. Karlawish and C. M. Clark Diagnostic Evaluation of Elderly Patients with Mild Memory Problems Ann Intern Med, March 4, 2003; 138(5): 411 - 419. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. W. Schofield, D. Jacobs, K. Marder, M. Sano, and Y. Stern The Validity of New Memory Complaints in the Elderly Arch Neurol, June 1, 1997; 54(6): 756 - 759. [Abstract] [PDF]