Final answer:
The cause of organic dementia is documented in medical records, including any genetic basis and physical indications like amyloid plaques. Psychological evaluations document self-inflicted brain damage. Brain scans and genetic testing aid in diagnosing and understanding the extent and type of dementia.
Step-by-step explanation:
If the cause of dementia is organic, this will be referenced on medical records. If the cause of dementia stems from self-inflicted brain damage, this will be referenced on psychological evaluations.
Medical records typically contain a comprehensive history of a patient's health-related issues and document any organic causes of diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, which has a genetic basis and manifests through physical changes in the brain like amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles.
Psychological evaluations, on the other hand, may reveal cognitive and emotional aspects of brain damage that are self-inflicted due to lifestyle choices, abuse of substances, or other behaviors that affect brain health. These evaluations focus more on the behavioral and cognitive symptoms such as disruptive memory loss, difficulty with planning and executing tasks, and personality changes that could be associated with self-inflicted damage.
Specific methods of assessment, such as brain scans, may be used to support findings by revealing physical changes in the brain, including atrophy or anomalies in brain structures like the hippocampus. Genetic testing is important when determining the risk of genetically linked forms of dementia such as early-onset Alzheimer's, which may be caused by mutations in certain genes like APOE.