Signs & Symptoms of Frontotemporal Dementia

People with frontotemporal dementia typically begin showing symptoms in their 50s, and it afflicts women more often than men. Many personality and behavior changes result from this type of dementia, but they are more similar to psychotic disorders than to other types of dementia such as Alzheimer's disease.

Impaired Social Behavior

• An individual with frontotemporal dementia commonly shows inappropriate behavior in social situations, such as bothering people she doesn't know in a restaurant, or using a lot of obscene language.

Impaired Relationships

• Another sign of frontotemporal dementia is an inability to relate to people. The person may lose his sense of empathy or compassion, for instance, or may insult people or ask inappropriate questions. In contrast, he might be unwilling to have any conversations.

Changes in Interests

• These individuals tend to withdraw from everyday life and relationships, showing a lack of motivation and loss of interest. They may turn their energy to compulsive behavior such as obsessive housecleaning, while at the same time not caring about personal hygiene.

Impaired Judgment

• Loss of good judgment is another sign of frontotemporal dementia. The person may spend money recklessly or suddenly indulge in excessive overeating.

Disease Progression

• As frontotemporal dementia worsens, the individual may experience difficulty speaking, reading and writing. She eventually has memory problems and movement disorders such as unsteadiness, twitching, and muscle weakness or rigidity.