Is dementia classified as a mental illness?

Dementia is a complex condition primarily characterized by a decline in cognitive function and can result from a variety of underlying causes, including Alzheimer's disease, which is the most common form of dementia. When considering whether dementia is classified as a mental illness, it's important to recognize that mental illnesses typically involve psychiatric conditions that affect mood, thinking, and behavior.

Dementia does not neatly fit into the category of mental illness, as it is primarily tied to physical changes in the brain. Thus, while dementia itself is often viewed through the lens of cognitive impairment and not strictly as a mental illness, Alzheimer's disease, being a specific degenerative brain condition that leads to dementia, is also not classified as a mental illness in the traditional sense. However, both conditions significantly impact mental functioning and behavior.

The perspective that Alzheimer's and dementia are physical illnesses aligns with more current understandings of how these conditions affect the brain's structure and functioning. Therefore, classifying dementia solely as a mental illness might overlook the biological and physiological aspects involved. The assertion that Alzheimer's is considered a mental illness is not aligned with the mainstream classification, reinforcing the need to understand these conditions as being primarily rooted in physical brain changes rather than purely psychological phenomena.