Currently, doctors cannot diagnose Alzheimer's disease with 100% certainty until a brain autopsy after the person's death reveals the disease's markers: abnormal clumps and irregular knots of brain cells.
This uncertainty makes a difficult situation all the more distressing. The affected individual and loved ones always wonder, Is it really Alzheimer's? A great deal rides on the answer to this question, and the possibility of a misdiagnosis can raise already-high anxiety levels even higher.

At its onset, Alzheimer's disease is marked by simple forgetfulness, especially of recent events or directions to familiar places. People with Alzheimer's may have personality changes, such as poor impulse control and judgment, distrust, increased stubbornness, and restlessness.