The Risks of Online Memory Self-Assessments. Dr. Domenico Pratico', MD, FCPP

There is no doubt that today most of us the moment we have a question or a concern about our health, or the health of a loved one promptly look up at the internet to find more about it, or as we often say: “we google about it” (if chrome is the search engine of choice). 

For instance, if memory problems or possible Alzheimer’s disease/dementia is our concern, there are a host of websites from government agencies, hospitals, health centers, research centers, and commercial entities where we can read and inform ourselves more about it.

Some of them may even offer on-line questionnaires, or tests that assess our memory and predict if we have or even if we are at risk of developing the disease, which we can take at home all by ourselves.

We often use the internet to find answers for our health concerns.

In cases like this, it is easy to imagine how anybody could be tempted to take one or more of these “memory screening” tests to get more information or may be for “peace of mind’. After all, in most cases they are without charge so, what do we have to lose?

Moreover, they have benefits such as we can take them at home; we can take just one and already get some type of “preliminary” answer to our doubts/concerns; some of them can even tell us whether we are at risk.

All these aspects in part justify their growing popularity, particularly among adult individuals.

Despite the widespread success of these online and self-administered tests there is an increasing number of studies suggesting that they do not provide the real benefits they claim since they are not necessarily useful nor reliable. By contrast, they may even have negative effects and unwanted consequences for the very individuals who take them.

Additionally, there are some intrinsic limitations to these online resources, and among them we must not forget that there is not a single test (online, in a clinic or a doctor’s office) that alone can accurately establish if there is “dementia”.

Online testing for memory and cognition are available but they have limitations and risks.

The process is a complex and a multi-steps journey starting with a comprehensive medical history and evaluation, physical and mental/memory exams in order not only to determine if "dementia” is present but also, and most importantly, to eliminate “reversible causes” that can be responsible for “dementia” symptoms (low thyroid function, low B6/12 vitamins, anemia).

The online assessments can result in “false positives”, when a person who doesn’t have dementia “fails” or scores poorly, and “false negatives", when a person who does have dementia “passes” or scores well on the test.

Bottom line, the self-administered tests we may find online could easily be misleading, inaccurate or not comprehensive enough.

In some cases, they can also lead to anxiety and stress, as it can be difficult to determine and manage what is the most useful information. In fact, while we all agree that the internet can offer some valuable information about dementia, at times it is hard to distinguish between reliable and unreliable information.

There are also some ethical issues like privacy and confidentiality of the information collected while we take this form of online self-assessment. We must remember that we share our information with organizations, so it is very important to know how and what they are using it for.

In summary, anytime we are concerned about ourselves or a loved one who is experiencing memory issues, accompanied by difficulties in day-to-day activities and skills, we should contact our family doctor. We should not be afraid, nor should we have a sense of shame or guilt in asking questions about our concerns but be open and upfront about what is bugging us, even if there is a reputable online source of information.

A doctor, after completing a series of diagnostic steps, can ultimately provide a diagnosis regarding our memory issues.

Please remember that only a qualified doctor, after completing a series of diagnostic steps, can ultimately provide us with an official diagnosis regarding the memory issues we or our loved one is experiencing.

Knowledge is power, so we should nor delay facing the “causes” of our health concerns.

An early diagnosis always offers the best chance to better manage or prevent the clinical manifestations or in some cases to slow or even stop the pathologic process responsible for them.

If you are interested in reading more of my blogs, check out the recent one:

https://www.praticolab.org/post/the-4-cardinal-points-of-behavior-domenico-pratico-md-fcpp

Dr. Domenico Pratico' , MD, FCPP

Domenico Praticò, MD, holds the Scott Richards North Star Charitable Foundation Chair for Alzheimer’s Research and serves as a Professor and Founding Director of the Alzheimer’s Center at Temple, as well as a Professor of Neural Sciences at Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.

For more information on the research conducted by Dr. Domenico Pratico, please visit this link.

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Stay updated with the work happening at Dr. Domenico Pratico's lab by visiting the Pratico Lab website.