Table : TABLE 15.5 • DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria for Major Neurocognitive Disorder
  1. Evidence of significant cognitive decline from a previous level of performance in one or more cognitive domains (complex attention, executive function, learning and memory, language, perceptual-motor, or social cognition) based on:
    1. Concern of the individual, a knowledgeable informant, or the clinician that there has been a significant decline in cognitive function; and
    2. A substantial impairment in cognitive performance, preferably documented by standardized neuropsychological testing or, in its absence, another quantified clinical assessment.
  2. The cognitive deficits interfere with independence in everyday activities (i.e., at a minimum, requiring assistance with complex instrumental activities of daily living such as paying bills or managing medications).
  3. The cognitive deficits do not occur exclusively in the context of delirium.
  4. The cognitive deficits are not better explained by another mental disorder (e.g., major depressive disorder, schizophrenia).
Reprinted with permission from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, (Copyright ©2013). American Psychiatric Association. All Rights Reserved.