A woman in her 70s visited the hospital with concerns about her declining memory. She had been forgetting important dates and misplacing her belongings, leading her to worry about dementia. She had lost her husband a few years ago and felt a deep sense of loneliness. She expressed her fears of not having anyone to take care of her if she were to develop dementia. She tearfully asked for help and hoped for healing.
The director, Kim Seong-mi, explains that depression can cause cognitive decline, often mistaken for dementia. However, if depression is properly treated, cognitive function can be fully restored. Managing depression, loneliness, and social isolation can also reduce the risk of developing dementia. The mind plays a crucial role in controlling the brain, and taking care of both mental and physical health is essential.
Memory decline can have various causes, including forgetfulness, pseudodementia, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia. Aging affects the brain, causing a gradual shrinkage of brain cells and affecting memory. The hippocampus, responsible for memory formation, can shrink and lead to dementia. Forgetfulness, on the other hand, is often a symptom of burnout or the inability to store memories as long-term memories.
Dementia is a common concern among the elderly, but its prevention should start early. By taking care of both mind and body, dementia can be prevented. Exercise is a vital component, not only for physical health but also for improving mood and reducing stress. It is important to set realistic goals and enjoy the process rather than obsessing over results. Cognitive reserve, or increasing cognitive assets, is another key factor in preventing dementia. Engaging in cultural activities, maintaining social connections, and continuously learning can help increase cognitive reserve.
Kim Seong-mi reflects on her experiences treating dementia patients, acknowledging her own shortcomings and learning from their stories. Cultural activities and strong social connections play a significant role in maintaining brain health and preventing cognitive decline. Finally, she mentions the importance of embracing mortality and sharing life’s journey with others, for no one is an island and every human is connected to the whole.
Kim Seong-mi, director of the Mind and Mind Department of Psychiatry
A woman in her 70s visited the hospital complaining that her memory continued to deteriorate. I had forgotten the date of the wrong meeting, and I only remembered it when a friend called. I often searched for a long time to see where I had left my mobile phone, so I was worried that I might have dementia. A few years ago, my husband died of a stroke, and I felt empty because I was alone, and I only wished that my husband was by my side.
Both of us were always going to the mountains, eating together, and needing no friends, so we remained alone, but as the days grew colder and the dark nights approached , a lonely feeling of loneliness came over us. Now, there is no one to take care of me, so if I get dementia, it would be a big problem, so she wipes her tears and asks me to heal her.
I was waiting and waiting for a reunion with a person who had crossed the river of time, but like the separation of many people, time was something that could not be undone, and I thought I had to wait quietly for the time to leave. . When you are deeply immersed in the abyss of depression, you feel as if you are cut off from the world, your memory deteriorates, you lose track of time, and you losing your sense of direction.
If you can’t do things you normally do, it can be mistaken for dementia. Therefore, cognitive decline caused by depression is called pseudodementia. If depression is treated properly, cognitive function is fully restored. If you manage your depression, loneliness and social isolation well, the incidence of dementia will decrease. In this way, controlling the software called the mind has a tremendous effect on the hardware called the brain.
There are many causes of memory decline, including forgetfulness, pseudodementia, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia. Up to 100 billion human brain cells extend together to form synapses, giving the face a wrinkled and crowded appearance. On the other hand, the rat brain has less synapse formation and has a flat surface.
As the brain ages, just as hair thins, the brain cells gradually shrink, reducing the volume and creating a deep sinkhole-like space. By imaging the brain with MRI, you can easily determine the age of the brain. Problems arise in the area called the hippocampus, which is responsible for entering memories, and it becomes like a dry walnut, shrunken and eventually progresses to dementia. Forgetfulness and dementia are problems. different.
Forgetfulness is a symptom that is not caused by the loss of hippocampal cells, but rather by the inability to store them as long-term memories. It seems that when you live too busy and have too many things to do, multi-tasking piles up, or you just don’t have the energy to handle them, making even the things you normally do are difficult. Forgetfulness is a symptom of burnout syndrome.
Dementia is different in that the cells of the hippocampus are lost, so the memory itself does not enter. Even if the same memory decline is observed, the treatment is different depending on the cause, and the course of the disease is also different, so it must be carefully differentiated.
Dementia is the disease that the elderly fear most during outpatient treatment. Dementia is a disease that causes problems in the brain cells and blood vessels. Finding a way to prevent this damage may be a way to prevent dementia. So when should we start making efforts to prevent dementia? At this time. It’s easy to think that dementia is a problem for older people, but in reality, it progresses slowly over decades, so you can prevent dementia by taking good care of your mind and body starting today.
We are very interested to see if someone has a young face. If you don’t sleep well or pay too much attention, freckles appear and dark circles appear under your eyes. There is a close connection between the skin and the state of mind. Just as your face is young, it is important to maintain a young brain. Just as there are differences in the wrinkles and elasticity of the face, the brain also differs from person to person beyond the skin.
There are many studies on what things can help our brain health. The three most important methods are diet management, stress management, and exercise. The first thing to practice among these is exercise. Exercise not only makes your body healthy, but moving your body also improves your mood, which has a huge anti-stress effect.
You can never get dementia! If you obsessively focus on exercise with this mindset, you may get injured and your stress will increase. So, it’s more important to have fun even if it’s just for 10 minutes. It is more effective to do it consistently rather than just deciding to do it for three days. It’s best to set your goals low enough that you can’t miss them.
Walk for about 10 minutes a day a week. You may wonder what effect that amount of exercise will have, but the experience of success is more important. It will continue to be a good habit for my body, and although it is small, I will not fail, and even if I am told not to do it from one day on, the time and intensity of the exercise will gradually increase.
What is important to prevent dementia is to increase the cognitive reserve. Just as you need to store enough iron if you have anaemia, you need to increase your cognitive assets. For example, just as a rubber band stretches when you listen to lectures from time to time, take part in fun activities, or study the humanities, brain cells have plasticity and can store a lot of information deep in the brain for a long time.
Good manners, consideration, and beautiful speech are stored as automatic memories, so even if the memories of your youth, vitality, and even your eyes are all gone, you can stay with good manners until the end. When I treat these beautiful dementia patients, I often see their bad days, difficult relationships, and life path shine even brighter.
A dementia patient who had been receiving treatment from me for a long time was upset that the doctor had not sent congratulatory money to his son’s wedding. I depended on her as a mother and liked her, but she raised her voice and asked if it was unrequited love. The woman who came with me tried to stop this person, saying that he was old, but she could not really understand the feelings of an old man who was marrying his son late, saying that he heals people’s aching hearts and takes. caring for those who believe in me and open to their own human weaknesses, he was a boring doctor.
I couldn’t live by being particularly generous, and as a psychiatrist, I blamed myself and wondered if I had given anyone genuine comfort. When treating elderly patients, I often have a chilling awakening to my own inadequacy, stinginess, and immaturity. Call the account number where you would like to send the congratulations money. When I asked, he called the long account number fluently. I am relieved that my dementia treatment is going well.
The second is cultural activities. After retiring from his job, one headmaster took a vocal music class, took part in competitions, and memorized all the words to opera arias. It’s huge. It’s nice to see nature, travel, and learn to dance with friends.
The third is a close relative. How many healing friends you can be open to is important in controlling your mind. My patient, a 90-year-old grandfather, said that he had informed his friend of his death, paid tribute, and worked as secretary of the alumni association for half his life. By running the brain software well, the brain is less likely to age and brain function is still well maintained.
‘Now I have no friends to tell me about my death.’ Listening to my grandfather’s words, everyone inevitably faces a moment when they tell their soul to leave. Like the poem “For Whom the Bell Tolls” by the British poet John Donne.
No one is an island in himself.
Every human being is a piece of the continent, a part of the whole.
If a clod of dirt is washed away by sea water,
Europe is getting smaller,
Even if A (岬) is so, it is the same thing.
The same is true if your friends or territory come this way.
Anyone’s death worries me.
Because I am included in all humanity.
So don’t send anyone to find out for whom the bell tolls!
The bell is ringing for you!
#김성미의 #마음과 #마음 #stock #memories
