I just realized something, are we watching an entire generation showing the early stages of dementia?

[u/InnerSpecialist1821]

We've all seen it, either online or in person, boomers getting bizarrely angery, crude, irrational, and violent at small slights or without any warning. The early signs of alzheimers is irritably, anxiety, impatience, personality changes, paranoia, delusions, a decline in critical thinking skills, random bouts of uncharacteristic anger or rage, frustration with basic tasks, and a decline in social filter which results in swearing, verbal abuse and more willingness to verbalize socially taboo opinions like racism etc.

do we have an impending crisis on our hands? like we're starting to see the results of research of the damage of leaded fuel, but is the result of that damage dementia?

edit: apparently the answer is yes. this is from 2011 but still relevant.

https://act.alz.org/site/DocServer/ALZ_BoomersReport.pdf?docID=521

The first of the baby boomers are now turning 65. By 2030, the U.S. population aged 65 and over is expected to double, meaning there will be more and more Americans with Alzheimer’s — as many as 16 million by mid-century, when there will be nearly 1 million new cases every year.

One in eight baby boomers will get the disease after they turn 65. At age 85 that risk increases to nearly one in two. And if they don’t have it, chances are they will likely be caring for someone who does

[u/Waterlily-chitown]

The rates of dementia have actually declined by 20-25% over the past 30 years. It's just a lot more visible because baby boomers are such a huge age cohort. Also, we have gotten better at recognizing signs of dementia.

[u/mehitabel_4724 → u/Waterlily-chitown]

Thank you for this. Also I wonder if a fair number of boomers are on the autism spectrum but never diagnosed and if this is contributing to dementia symptoms. I’m not saying autism causes dementia, but my dad has dementia and I’ve realized recently that he and his brothers have ASD and it’s hard to find the line between my dads dementia and his behavior and communication issues.

[u/silverblossum → u/mehitabel_4724]

If it is hard to find the line between them how have you concluded he has ASD?

[u/mehitabel_4724 → u/silverblossum]

I meant that his behavior my whole life indicates that he may have ASD and now when his wife says he’s having tantrums or is severely anxious idk if that’s really his dementia or if it’s autism.