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Three-phase model

The three-phase model is an important orientation framework in the diagnosis of dementia diseases that helps to classify the progressive symptoms according to their severity. This involves looking not only at internal symptoms, but also at external factors that affect a self-determined lifestyle or the ability to cope with everyday life independently. 

Hans Förstl and Christoph Lang present a classification according to the severity of a dementia syndrome based on the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) in the following table:

Degrees of severity of a dementia syndrome according to ICD-10

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© DRZE

Source: Förstl, Hans / Lang, Christoph (2011): Was ist Demenz? In: Förstl, Hans (Hg.) (2011): Demenzen in Theorie und Praxis 3. Aufl., Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, 3-9, 7.

See for a brief overview:

Förstl, Hans / Lang, Christoph (2011): Was ist Demenz? In: Förstl, Hans (Hg.) (2011): Demenzen in Theorie und Praxis 3. Aufl., Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, 3-9, insbesondere 6-7. (German)

Stechl, Elisabeth / Knüvener, Catarina / Lämmler, Gernot / Steinhagen-Thiessen, Elisabeth / Brasse, Gabriele (2012): Praxishandbuch Demenz. Erkennen – Verstehen – Behandeln. Frankfurt a.M.: Mabuse, 45ff. (German)

See for more detailed information on symptoms and possible mental processing forms for each of the three phases:

Deutscher Ethikrat (2012): Demenz und Selbstbestimmung. Stellungnahme, insbesondere 19-24. Online Version (German)