These 6 Midlife Depression Red Flags Linked To 50% Higher Dementia Risk: Study

The link between depression and an increased risk of getting dementia has long been believed to exist. A new study that was conducted over a period of 23 years has dug into this relationship further and found

hard proof that it exists. In fact, they’ve gone a step further and found that it is not just depression in totality but a very specific cluster of symptoms, aka red flags, that drives this not-so-nice relationship.

The new findings have been published in The Lancet Psychiatry and were led by Dr Philipp Frank, lead author, and a team from University College London (UCL).

These are the symptoms:

• Losing confidence in oneself
• Not able to face up to problems
• Not feeling warmth and affection for others
• Feeling nervous and strung-up all the time
• Not satisfied with the way tasks are carried out
• Difficulties concentrating

The researchers believe that by focusing on these six symptoms when treating patients who are suffering from depression in their midlife, they may reduce their risk of getting dementia later in life.

“Our findings show that dementia risk is linked to a handful of depressive symptoms rather than depression as a whole,” epidemiological psychologist Philipp Frank told Science Alert.

He added, “This symptom-level approach gives us a much clearer picture of who may be more vulnerable decades before dementia develops.”

The researchers analysed data from 5,811 middle-aged adults who participated in the Whitehall II study, a British longitudinal cohort initiated in 1985 and funded by the Medical Research Council and Wellcome.

They were assessed for midlife depressive symptoms in 1997–1999, when all participants were dementia-free and middle-aged (age 45-69, average age of 55). They had to answer a questionnaire that covered 30 common depressive symptoms.

Participants’ health status was then tracked for 25 years through national health registries, with dementia diagnoses recorded up to 2023. During this period, 10.1% developed dementia. The long follow-up period allowed the researchers to investigate symptom-dementia associations stemming from long before typical neurodegenerative changes emerge.

The analyses showed that participants classified as depressed (those reporting five or more symptoms) in midlife had a 27% higher risk of subsequently developing dementia. However, this increased risk was driven entirely by the six specific symptoms in adults under 60. In particular, loss of self-confidence and difficulty coping with problems were each associated with a roughly 50% increased risk of dementia.

Dr Richard Oakley, Associate Director of Research and Innovation at Alzheimer’s Society, said in a press release, “It’s important to note that not everyone who has depression will go on to develop dementia, and people with dementia won’t necessarily develop depression.”