Dementia Patients Often Can't Detect Sarcasm

New tests could help with diagnoses

By Wesley Oliver, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 12, 2008 1:16 PM CST

(Newser) – People suffering from dementia often can't pick up on sarcasm, a finding that could help with diagnoses and in improving patients' relations with caregivers, AFP reports. Australian researchers say patients under age 65 suffering from frontotemporal dementia, the second most common form of the disorder, were unable to detect sarcastic statements. "This is significant because if caregivers are angry, sad, or depressed, the patient won’t pick this up,” said the study’s lead researcher.

“They find it difficult to interact with people,” he said. "They don't pick up on social cues, they lack empathy, they make bad judgements.” One in 4,000 people worldwide suffers from the condition, which is often misdiagnosed as depression. The sarcasm test could replace others that are more expensive and less available and be modified for less sarcasm-happy countries.

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"People with FTD become very gullible and they often part with large amounts of money," said one researcher, adding that one in 4,000 people worldwide suffer from the condition. (Shutter Stock)

The sarcasm test could replace some more expensive and less widely available tests for dementia. (Shutter Stock)

The research, conducted in 2006-07, put 26 sufferers of FTD and 19 Alzheimer's patients through a test in which actors acted out different scenarios using exactly the same words. (Shutter Stock)

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One of the things about FTD patients is that they don't detect humour—they are very bad at double meaning and a lot of humour (other than sarcasm) is based on double meaning. - John Hodges, University of New South Wales

The patients with FTD are very literal and they take what is being said as genuine and sincere. - John Hodges, University of New South Wales

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Dementia Patients Often Can't Detect Sarcasm