Overview
- People reporting five or more depressive symptoms in midlife had about a 27% higher risk of developing dementia during follow-up.
- The elevated risk was concentrated in six signs: difficulty concentrating, loss of confidence, persistent nervousness, inability to face problems, lack of warmth or affection, and dissatisfaction with how tasks are done.
- Loss of self-confidence and difficulty coping each correlated with nearly 50% higher dementia risk compared with peers without those symptoms.
- The study analyzed the Whitehall II cohort, with participants assessed in 1997–1999 at an average age of about 55 and around 10% diagnosed with dementia by 2023.
- Researchers and outside experts cautioned that the findings are observational, drawn largely from White male participants, and require replication and intervention trials to test whether addressing these symptoms reduces risk.