Pseudodementia is the syndrome in which dementia is mimicked or caricatured by 
functional psychiatric disorders. The author describes 10 patients with 
pseudodementia and compares its clinical features with those of true dementia. 
The syndrome occurred in patients with various psychiatric diagnoses, but a 
striking feature in most patients was marked dependency. The recognition of this 
clinical syndrome should obviate the need for many neurological diagnostic 
studies and lead to earlier and more effective psychiatric treatment.