“What happens if you give antidepressants to someone with dementia?”

It can sometimes be hard to distinguish dementia and depression in an older person. Major depression can make someone listless, impair their concentration, slow down their cognitive function. It is a crucial distinction to make, since there are many effective antidepressants and as yet no really effective medications against dementia. If a demented person is depressed (which can certainly occur), then they should be treated with an antidepressant; it could lift their mood and help them deal with such a challenging diagnosis.

Many patients with dementia could have depression instead of dementia, and if you treat the depression, you will see a significant improvement.