Definition:

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V) categorizes Vascular Dementia as an etiological subtype of either Major or Mild Neurocognitive Disorder.

A summary of the diagnostic criteria is as follows:

Evidence of modest (mild) or significant (major) cognitive decline from a previous level of performance in one or more cognitive domains (complex attention, executive function, learning and memory, language, perceptual-motor or social cognition based on:

  • Concern of the individual, a knowledgeable informant, or the clinician that there has been a decline in cognitive function and
  • An impairment in cognitive performance (modest or significant) documented by standardized testing or another qualified assessment.
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