Can a 24 year old get dementia

[Katelynsnow12]

I'm 24, from Australia. I know this sounds very paranoid, but sometimes over the years I think I see a pet in the corner of my eye but they arent actually there, I read people with dementia hallucinate.

Is it possible? In the last 2 years I've had an MRI for unrelated reasons and three ophthalmologist visits.

Is what I'm describing concerning - yes I'm a hypochondriac

[AnnieBrooke]

It's not uncommon to fleetingly think you see something familiar in a familiar location, even when it isn't there. Also, people can hallucinate who don't have dementia. So, no, you aren't a 24-year-old with dementia.

[Katelynsnow12]

Have you once experienced a similar situation? Hearing someone else's story would really help

[AnnieBrooke]

I have seen things out of the corner of my eye when I was really tired, especially light flashes.

[Katelynsnow12]

Any pets or people?

[AnnieBrooke]

Are you talking about thinking you see a pet that you have, out of the corner of your eye, and then it's not there when you look again? Or one not known to you?

[AnnieBrooke]

I'm just wondering if you have sleep problems or narcolepsy.

[Katelynsnow12]

No I have a dog and once a year or two I swear I see it in corner of my eye running around which it actually isn't, this only takes place if I'm around it or I can hear it in background, I don't just see it if I'm on a airplane for example

[AnnieBrooke]

Well, it might just be that the dog is so familar that your brain is triggered by the sounds it makes and creates a quick picture. My grandma used to have this happen with her husband, she would see him sitting in his usual comfortable armchair even when he wasn't. The images were fleeting, and we all wrote it off to the fact that she was so used to seeing him there that her mind sometimes conjured him up when he wasn't.

Web MD has a good article on the various reasons people might "see things," some are benign (like not enough sleep) and some are from illnesses. But the dementia guess would not be high on anyone's list for you, since it takes a while to develop.

[Katelynsnow12]

I read that lewy body dementia hallucinations are very vivid and not of what I described, that's what I was worried over however I've never heard of anyone under 30 with it and even then under 50 is extremely rare. Should I stop worrying?

[AnnieBrooke]

Yes, stop worrying that you have dementia. If you insist on worrying about something, put your energy into figuring out why you have hypochondria. If it's just you being dramatic and imaginative, try funneling that into a less fraught and tiresome (for you) activity than obsessing over your health. See a doc for a complete checkup, and trust the results, then forget the obsession about dementia. Try putting your energy and creativity into an artistic hobby -- music, poetry, writing or art.