Multigenerational households with widowed persons aged 70 and more have been studied in order to determine the relationship between the following two groups of variables: (a) variables in the aged person describing the existence and degree of an organic mental impairment due to a dementive process and of other signs of physical illnesses. (b) variables in her daughter or daughter in law consisting of selfratings of psychosomatic complaints and of attitude-scales. Results were as follows: (a) If there were indications of personality changes due to an organic brain syndrom the relatives had a lower degree of life-satisfaction and more frequently suffered from psychosomatic symptoms and interpersonal stress than those, whose old relatives showed an unaltered personality. (b) A great number of comparisons failed to show any statistical differences. Especially severe physical illness, organic brain syndrome and the need for physical care were not related to life satisfaction, psychosomatic complaints, stress due to emotional involvement and the attitude towards home-care. Our attempt to explain the missing correlations led to the following factors: the small size of the sample, self-selection of the sample and possibly inappropriate operationalisation and measurement of variables. In respect to these results the ongoing study will be modified in some details: There will be a qualitative analysis of transcribed semi-structured interviews. The proportion of families with severely demented relatives will be increased. In an additional step we shall examine families, who have decided to transfer their old member into an institution.

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[Clinical aspects of dementia].

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[On the problem of depressive pseudodementia].

The term "depressive pseudodementia" introduced 20 to 30 years ago by Madden and coworkers and by Kiloh is critically evaluated. This originally descriptive term is not unequivocal due to its diagnostic and therapeutic connotations. Even by omitting the negative prefix "pseudo" it cannot be distinguished whether a psychopathological description of symptoms or a clinical diagnosis is meant. Therefore, on the present state of knowledge of dementia research and in view of the necessary distinction between syndromal and nosological classification level, the authors favour the abandoning of the term "depressive dementia". At the syndromal level it is suggested to use the term "dementia syndrome" according to Folstein and McHugh or to use the term "cognitive impairment" according to Caine. At the diagnostic-nosological level this procedure should include the information as to whether the "cognitive impairment" of an elderly patient coincides with a depression, a certain type of dementia or a combination of both. Such a positive terminology may promote the qualitative differentiation and quantification of the "cognitive impairment" which are scientifically necessary.

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