21/09/2025
🚨 This is why we need to fund mental health services and treatments.
A new study shows that depression and anxiety aren’t just emotional health issues — they may also be red flags for future dementia risk.
Having multiple mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety may dramatically increase a person’s risk of developing dementia, according to a new study published in BMJ Mental Health.
Researchers analyzed health data from over 3,600 adults aged 45 and older and found that those with two psychiatric disorders were twice as likely to be diagnosed with dementia compared to those with just one.
The risk escalated sharply with each additional disorder: individuals with three conditions had four times the risk, and those with four or more faced an elevenfold increase. Most notably, coexisting mood and anxiety disorders alone increased dementia risk by up to 90%.
While the study was observational and can’t confirm causation, experts say the findings underscore an urgent need for early screening and preventive strategies, particularly for patients showing multiple psychiatric diagnoses. The suspected link may stem from the effects of chronic mental health issues on brain structure, inflammation, and the accumulation of amyloid-beta proteins, which are associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers also suggest that mental health conditions may either contribute directly to dementia or serve as early warning signs of its onset. Either way, mental health care may be more important than ever for protecting long-term cognitive health.
Source: Multiple Psychiatric Disorders and Dementia Risk: A Retrospective Study. BMJ Mental Health, 2025.
