If you or someone you care about is having trouble remembering things, getting a correct diagnosis is important. This will let you and your family plan for the future and take steps to be ready for the worst-case scenario.
You can get this kind of care from several different types of specialists. Some of them are psychiatrists, geriatricians, and neurologists.
Neurologists specialize in problems with the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. They can diagnose, treat, and take care of these problems. They also help with a wide range of other health problems.
The first thing your neurologist will do is ask you about your past health. Then you'll have a physical exam to test your brain and nerves.
Electroencephalography, or EEG, is a test that looks at how your brain works. An electromyogram, or EMG, is a test that looks at how your brain and a muscle talk to each other.
The doctor will also look for signs of Alzheimer's disease or dementia. These diseases can make remembering things hard, but they do not cause all memory problems.
Geriatricians are doctors who focus on the health and well-being of people over 65. They are often called family or internal doctors, but they can also be called gerontologists.
They have extra training that helps them prevent, diagnose, and treat various health problems affecting older people. These can include dementia, delirium, falls, taking too many medicines, and other health problems that can happen as people get older.
A geriatrician can also help you manage your medications by looking at side effects and drug interactions and suggesting whether to change or stop certain medicines. Up to 1 in 10 older people who go to the hospital are there because of a bad reaction to a drug. These problems are almost always avoidable if your doctor knows how drugs interact with each other in older people.
A geriatrician is also trained to deal with the social factors that affect health, like how easy it is to get to health care and how to get around. These things can greatly affect your health, and a geriatrician is more likely to consider them when making a care plan for you.
A psychiatrist is a doctor who focuses on preventing, identifying, and treating mental illnesses. Psychiatrists may work with other medical doctors or psychologists in hospitals and private practices.
Psychiatrists go to school to become either an MD (doctor of medicine) or DO (doctor of osteopathy) (doctor of osteopathic medicine). They also go through a residency, where they learn about different mental illnesses and how to treat them.
Psychiatrists use a biopsychosocial approach to determine what's wrong with people with mental illnesses. Psychiatrists can make a diagnosis based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria, which they can get from a patient's medical history and symptoms (DSM-5). Psychologists can also give you medicine that may help with mental health problems.
Neuropsychologists are trained to figure out how the brain works mentally. This includes things like memory, focus, and other ways of thinking.
Neuropsychologists usually work in a hospital, clinic, or private practice where they see patients. They may also work with athletes with concussions or traumatic brain injuries. They may also see children in school settings.
When doctors think a patient has a brain injury, a tumor, or an illness, they often send them for a neuropsychological evaluation. This can help doctors figure out why someone is having trouble with their ability to think or remember.
A PCP, or primary care physician, is a doctor who helps you take care of your health. They can also find diseases early and treat them before they get too bad.
A PCP will give you regular checkups, screening tests, vaccinations, and tips on how to stay healthy and avoid getting sick or hurt. They can also help you start living healthily.
They can also treat common problems, like a sore throat or a rash. They can also help you deal with long-term health problems like diabetes or high blood pressure.
You must finish medical school before becoming a primary care doctor (MD or DO). After that, you might have to go through a residency program, which is a three-year or longer training program.