Neurocognitive disorders (NCDs) comprise a set of disorders that affect a multitude of cognitive domains and are characterized by an irreversible decline in intellectual, cognitive, and social functioning. To be diagnosed with an NCD, an individual must meet specific criteria according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). Individuals must have significant decline in several of the cognitive domains: complex attention, executive function, learning and memory, language, perceptual-motor, and social cognition. These impairments must also cause occupational or social difficulties. Of note is the DSM-5’s inclusion of a sixth cognitive domain, social cognition, which differs from the previous edition, the DSM-IV-TR (text revision). This inclusion highlights the importance of social factors in the diagnosis and prognosis of dementia.

NCDs can be ...