Casey Many thanks for your posting which I found rather moving. I will post back to let you all know how my appointment with my doctor goes. This appt is likely to be early next week. I will also post back when my mother's condition has been diagnosed - this could take a couple of months or so because of waiting lists. I still believe that despite everything that life can throw at us, whether depressed or not, that life is still worth living even though at times the very reverse seems to be the case. Kind regards MRB :)

Hi MRB, Thank you for sharing this very difficult situation here with us. I too have experienced dementia in our family and truly understand how scary and challenging this can be. Try to trust and have faith in your doctor that they are making the right recommendation for you with respect for a referral. You are such a valued member here, of course you are in our thoughts and prayers. Keep us posted, Casey ___________________________________ The Depression Center Support Team

I haven't really posted before for help on my own account, but find that I have to now. My elderly mother, who also suffers from depression, has had memory problems for about a year. She also has a family history of Alzheimers. I had to take her to an outpatients appointment on Tuesday on account of the memory problem. It was of course at the back of my mind, as well as my brother's (who was on holiday and returns tomorrow) that she might have Alzheimers. To cut a long story short we won't know for a couple of months as she will have to have a brain scan. She also had some other tests while we were at the hospital. The doctors spoke to me while she was in another room waiting for a physical examination. The doctors explained that she could have early stage Alzheimers or some other dementia. Alternatively, they said her poor memory and concentration could be symptoms of depression. I suspect that they told my mother rather less than they told me, but I think she will be aware of the Alzheimers possibility. My brother doesn't know the full details of the appointment yet. Tomorrow, when he returns, is coincidentally the anniversary of my father's death, and Monday (20th) is my brother's birthday. Obviously I am more concerned about my mother's health than my depression, but understandably I'm not feeling too good at present. I have got to see my doctor next week anyway as my medication is running out. I shall tell him about my mother (she goes to a different practice) although I don't know what he will do about my own depression. I am on the largest dose of Efexor XL used in this country. I think there is a possibility that I might be referred to a psychiatrist as I think this was on the cards anyway. Eventually I will have to come to terms with what my mother has got, and I do not assume that it will be Alzheimers or something similar. I also know, as we all do, that getting older and getting ill are part of the human condition that we can't do anything about. My mother is 77, so if this turns out to be only a "health scare" sooner or later something else will crop up. Also, the doctor said that because of her family history, even if she didn't have Alzheimers now, she was more likely to get it as she got older. All this is very hard,