What does PPA look like?

"PPA" can refer to two very different conditions: Postpartum Anxiety (PPA), characterized by overwhelming worry, panic, and restlessness after childbirth, or Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA), a neurological disorder causing gradual loss of speech, word-finding difficulties, and trouble understanding or writing, often linked to dementia. What it "looks like" depends entirely on which PPA is meant, one being emotional/physical stress and the other a gradual communication breakdown.

What are the first signs of PPA?

The first signs of Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) are subtle language difficulties, like struggling to find words, slow or halting speech, substituting wrong words (e.g., "table" for "chair"), or having trouble understanding conversations, even when hearing is normal, with memory and thinking otherwise intact initially. People might forget names, make spelling errors, or struggle with reading and writing, often noticing it themselves and blaming stress before a diagnosis. 

How do I know if I have a PPA?

What are the symptoms of Primary Progressive Aphasia?

1. Slowed speech.
2. Word-finding hesitations.
3. Sentences with abnormal word order in speech or emails.
4. Substitution of words (e.g., "table" instead of "chair")
5. Using words that are mispronounced or incomprehensible.
6. Difficulty understanding what words mean.

How do you tell if you have PPA?

Some of the symptoms of PPA include: Physical symptoms: Disrupted sleep, increased heart rate or heart palpitations, nausea or stomach aches, feeling short of breath, loss of appetite, trouble sitting still, muscle tension.

When does PPA usually start?

Symptoms develop gradually, often before age 65. They get worse over time. People with primary progressive aphasia can lose the ability to speak and write. Eventually they're not able to understand written or spoken language.

What Is Primary Progressive Aphasia?

What is the hardest week of postpartum?

The hardest postpartum week varies, but many parents find the first two to six weeks the most challenging due to extreme sleep deprivation, hormonal shifts (especially around day 3), intense physical recovery, learning newborn cues, feeding struggles (like breastfeeding), and the overwhelming responsibility, with some pinpointing weeks 2-3 as particularly tough as the "birth buzz" wears off and the reality of constant care sets in. 

What are the early warning signs of aphasia?

Early warning signs of aphasia often start subtly, like difficulty finding words (anomia), using wrong or made-up words, speaking in short sentences, struggling to understand conversations, or having trouble reading and writing, sometimes dismissed as stress or normal aging, but they become more pronounced, affecting daily communication with frustrating word-finding pauses, grammar errors, and nonsensical speech or writing.
 

Can PPA go away on its own?

For most women, PPD and PPA feelings go away with time. Others require treatment that can consist of medication, therapy with a provider or a combination. Consulting with pregnant patients already experiencing PPD or PPA symptoms allows Barker to review what support they will have when the baby comes.

When does postpartum psychosis start?

Symptoms usually start suddenly within the first 2 weeks after giving birth - often within hours or days of giving birth. More rarely, they can develop several weeks after the baby is born. Symptoms can include: hallucinations – hearing, seeing, smelling or feeling things that are not there.

What are the first signs of dementia?

Early signs of dementia include memory loss (especially recent info), difficulty with familiar tasks, trouble finding words, confusion about time/place, poor judgment, withdrawing from activities, and personality changes, which are more significant and disruptive than normal aging forgetfulness. These subtle changes, like getting lost in familiar places or struggling with recipes, signal a need for medical evaluation to determine the cause.
 

What does primary progressive aphasia feel like?

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a neurodegenerative condition that causes a loss of language skills. At first, you may have trouble finding the correct words to say or understanding others. Over time, you may lose all verbal or written communication skills. It may also affect your thinking and behavior.

What are the three types of PPA?

The three main types of PPA are the semantic variant, nonfluent/agrammatic variant, and the logopenic variant (see What is Primary Progressive Apraxia of Speech? for information about this related problem).

Can PPA be misdiagnosed?

PPA usually presents at an earlier age than Alzheimer's or typical dementia does, to people in their 50s and 60s. “They're at the height of their careers and so word-finding symptoms are often attributed to stress,” says Kim. “So, it can be misdiagnosed or it's sometimes brushed over.”

What are the six stages of PPA?

Based on this survey, we expanded the list of symptoms and created a provisional six-stage scheme for each PPA subtype. Stage labels were chosen to align with the Frontotemporal Dementia Rating Scale14: 1, 'Very mild; 2, 'Mild'; 3, 'Moderate'; 4, 'Severe'; 5, 'Very severe'; 6, 'Profound'.

What are the 10 warning signs of dementia?

The 10 warning signs of dementia often include memory loss, difficulty with familiar tasks, language problems, disorientation, poor judgment, misplacing items, changes in mood/behavior, challenges with visual/spatial understanding, and withdrawal from social activities, indicating issues beyond normal aging, such as forgetting words, getting lost in familiar places, or sudden financial carelessness, requiring a doctor's visit if observed. 

What are the red flags for postpartum psychosis?

Warning signs of postpartum psychosis (PPP) include rapid, severe mood swings, hallucinations (hearing/seeing things), delusions (bizarre false beliefs, often about the baby), extreme confusion, paranoia, agitation, significant insomnia, and disorganized thinking or behavior, often appearing suddenly within days or weeks of birth. It's a medical emergency requiring immediate help, as symptoms can include thoughts of harming oneself or the baby. 

What is the 5 5 5 rule postpartum?

The 5-5-5 rule is a guideline for what kind of help a postpartum mom needs: five days in bed, five days round the bed — meaning minimal walking around — the next five days around the home. This practice will help you prioritize rest and recovery while gradually increasing activity.

What are the early warning signs of psychosis?

Early signs of psychosis include social withdrawal, a drop in performance at school/work, trouble concentrating, increased suspicion, poor hygiene, strange ideas, and changes in emotions (either too strong or none at all), often preceding more obvious symptoms like hallucinations or delusions, signaling a shift in thinking and perception that separates reality from fantasy. These subtle changes, often called the "prodromal phase," are crucial warning signs that indicate a need for professional help. 

What should you not say to a PPA mom?

Never say, “It could be worse” or “At least your baby is healthy.” While these statements may seem like a way to look on the bright side, they can make her feel guilty for struggling. PPD is not about the baby's health; it's about the mother's mental health.

How late can PPA start?

These may eventually interfere with your ability to care for your baby and handle other daily tasks. Symptoms usually develop within the first few weeks after giving birth. But they may begin earlier — during pregnancy — or later — up to a year after birth.

How to tell if you're dissociating?

Feeling like you're in a dream, watching yourself from outside your body, having memory gaps, feeling detached from emotions or reality (derealization/depersonalization), or struggling with a blurry sense of self/identity are signs you might be dissociating, often as a coping mechanism for stress or trauma, but it's important to see a professional for a proper diagnosis as these symptoms overlap with other conditions.
 

Is PPA dementia hereditary?

However, in a small number of families, PPA can be caused by hereditary forms of FTLD. Because PPA is progressive, decline in language ability continues. Additionally, some non-language abilities (memory, attention, judgment or changes in behavior and personality) can be affected.

Does aphasia show up on a brain scan?

An imaging test, usually an MRI or Computerized Tomography (CT) scan, can be used to quickly identify what's causing the aphasia. A speech-language pathologist can complete a comprehensive language assessment to confirm the presence of aphasia and determine the appropriate course of language treatment.

What medications can cause aphasia?

So far, several medications have been reported to cause aphasia, including: ipilimumab; immunomodulatory drugs (thalidomide, lenalidomide, pomalidomide); lamotrigine; vigabatrin; sulfasalazine; cyclosporine A; ifosfamide; phenylpropanolamine; naftidrofuryl oxalate; and some contrast mediums (Table 1).