How To Spot Pick's Disease (Frontotemporal Dementia)

Compulsive Behavior

Patients with Pick’s disease often also develop obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In addition to compulsive behavior, OCD is also characterized by repetitive and unwanted thoughts and feelings. Obsessive-compulsive disorder can persist throughout a patient’s life, or it can appear at a relatively late age. Researchers have found links between the latter type and dementia. For example, scientists at the 2016 American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting reported sixty-five percent of patients with frontotemporal dementia had developed obsessive-compulsive disorder or some symptoms of it before developing dementia. They also reported patients who had developed OCD relatively late in life were more likely to develop a type of dementia than individuals who developed it at an early age. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is also often linked to anxiety, and many dementia patients feel anxious and out of control. Their obsessive rituals may also help them remember given tasks in self-care.

Next, find out how Pick's disease is related to depression.