Alzheimer’s Disease in Forensic Psychology Practice

Explain how a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease may be relevant to a forensic psychology professional in court when evaluating a defendant. Show in detail with an example.
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Alzheimer’s Disease in Forensic Psychology Practice

About Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is according to Alzheimer’s Association (2014), a kind of dementia. The organization explains (Alzheimer’s Association, 2014), “Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks.” While largely associated with the aging, the disease is not a normal part of aging even if the most common risk factor is advancing age. A large percentage of people diagnosed with AD are 65 years old or older but early onset has been observed from ages 40 to 50. Sufferers of AD do not only loss their memory but with it, comes loss of personality. With memories, intellectual abilities as well as practical skills also go leading to a host of emotions and behavior that can endanger the sufferer and those around him/her. As a neurodegenerative disorder, the stages a person afflicted with the disease goes progressively worse . As there is no cure, it eventually leads to death.

Relevance in Forensic Psychology

For forensic psychologists, it is essential to determine the likelihood of AD among individuals involved in court settings or in a prison environment. Because of the symptoms and the impact of AD on human behavior, it is likely that the sufferer can be committing harm to others and because of the nature of the disease, is …