Calling or crying out can happen for many reasons in those withAlzheimer’s diseaseor another forms ofdementia. The triggers may include physical pain or hunger, psychological distress, or overstimulation in their environment.
A person with dementia may repeatedly call out, “Help me!” or become tearful and cry frequently. They may suddenly have a screaming episode and you don’t know how to help them.
This can be very distressing to experience, both for the person with dementia and those around them. It can also cause frustration in caregivers when it seems like the person may be crying out for no apparent reason.
This article describes possible triggers for crying and calling out in those with dementia and things you can try that may help them.
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Triggers for Crying and Calling Out in Dementia
There are a few possible reasons why someone with dementia may cry, callout, or have a similar outburst:
Crying and calling out is sometimes more common in other types of dementia including vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, andLewy body dementia. These behaviors may also increase later in the day due tosundowning, a condition common in dementia where behaviors and emotions escalate toward the evening.
Sometimes, people with dementia may have periods of time when they are screaming out loud but can’t tell you why. They may be feeling anxious or fearful, or be experiencinghallucinationsor paranoia.
Finally,pseudobulbar affect(also known as PBA) can trigger excessive crying, as well as inappropriate laughter.In this condition, the crying and/or laughing happens suddenly and frequently. Those with PBA might begin to cry and not know why they’re doing so.
How to Help the Person With Dementia
There are times when it appears there’s no reason for the person with dementia to call out or cry—at least none that you can determine. Sometimes, people seem to “get stuck” exhibiting a behavior without a reason.
However, before you write off crying or calling out as meaningless, consider the following interventions to make sure you’re doing everything possible to help:
Activities to Try
If you’ve made sure that the basic needs of the person with dementia have been met and they continue to cry or call out, try some of these activities, which may be comforting to them:
A Word From Verywell
Sometimes, behaviors in dementia are like a challenging puzzle to solve. We don’t have the complete answer key to this puzzle, but we do know that often, there are things we can do to help. As caregivers and family members, we should always continue to work to solve the puzzle.
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kales HC, Gitlin LN, Lyketsos CG.Assessment and management of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia.BMJ. 2015;350:h369. doi:10.1136/bmj.h369Canevelli M, Valletta M, Trebbastoni A, et al.Sundowning in dementia: clinical relevance, pathophysiological determinants, and therapeutic approaches.Front Med (Lausanne). 2016;3:73. doi:10.3389/fmed.2016.00073Ahmed A, Simmons Z.Pseudobulbar affect: prevalence and management.Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2013;9:483-9. doi:10.2147/TCRM.S53906Williams, A, Ackroyd RA.Identifying and managing pain for patients with advanced dementia.GM.2017 Apr;47(4).Additional ReadingAlzheimer’s Association. Vascular Dementia. https://www.alz.org/dementia/downloads/topicsheet_vascular.pdf 404 404Alzheimer’s Association. Behaviors.http://www.alz.org/espanol/signs_and_symptoms/behaviors.aspNational Institute on Aging. Types of Dementia.https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/dementias/types-dementia
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kales HC, Gitlin LN, Lyketsos CG.Assessment and management of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia.BMJ. 2015;350:h369. doi:10.1136/bmj.h369Canevelli M, Valletta M, Trebbastoni A, et al.Sundowning in dementia: clinical relevance, pathophysiological determinants, and therapeutic approaches.Front Med (Lausanne). 2016;3:73. doi:10.3389/fmed.2016.00073Ahmed A, Simmons Z.Pseudobulbar affect: prevalence and management.Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2013;9:483-9. doi:10.2147/TCRM.S53906Williams, A, Ackroyd RA.Identifying and managing pain for patients with advanced dementia.GM.2017 Apr;47(4).Additional ReadingAlzheimer’s Association. Vascular Dementia. https://www.alz.org/dementia/downloads/topicsheet_vascular.pdf 404 404Alzheimer’s Association. Behaviors.http://www.alz.org/espanol/signs_and_symptoms/behaviors.aspNational Institute on Aging. Types of Dementia.https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/dementias/types-dementia
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Kales HC, Gitlin LN, Lyketsos CG.Assessment and management of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia.BMJ. 2015;350:h369. doi:10.1136/bmj.h369Canevelli M, Valletta M, Trebbastoni A, et al.Sundowning in dementia: clinical relevance, pathophysiological determinants, and therapeutic approaches.Front Med (Lausanne). 2016;3:73. doi:10.3389/fmed.2016.00073Ahmed A, Simmons Z.Pseudobulbar affect: prevalence and management.Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2013;9:483-9. doi:10.2147/TCRM.S53906Williams, A, Ackroyd RA.Identifying and managing pain for patients with advanced dementia.GM.2017 Apr;47(4).
Kales HC, Gitlin LN, Lyketsos CG.Assessment and management of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia.BMJ. 2015;350:h369. doi:10.1136/bmj.h369
Canevelli M, Valletta M, Trebbastoni A, et al.Sundowning in dementia: clinical relevance, pathophysiological determinants, and therapeutic approaches.Front Med (Lausanne). 2016;3:73. doi:10.3389/fmed.2016.00073
Ahmed A, Simmons Z.Pseudobulbar affect: prevalence and management.Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2013;9:483-9. doi:10.2147/TCRM.S53906
Williams, A, Ackroyd RA.Identifying and managing pain for patients with advanced dementia.GM.2017 Apr;47(4).
Alzheimer’s Association. Vascular Dementia. https://www.alz.org/dementia/downloads/topicsheet_vascular.pdf 404 404Alzheimer’s Association. Behaviors.http://www.alz.org/espanol/signs_and_symptoms/behaviors.aspNational Institute on Aging. Types of Dementia.https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/dementias/types-dementia
Alzheimer’s Association. Vascular Dementia. https://www.alz.org/dementia/downloads/topicsheet_vascular.pdf 404 404
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