A 62-year-old woman presents to the PMHNP for an evaluation. She is concerned she is developing dementia due to her significant family history. Which of the following would help the PMHNP make a diagnosis of pseudodementia rather than dementia?

Choice A reason: Individuals with pseudodementia, often related to depression, tend to respond to cognitive testing with "I don’t know" when uncertain, showing awareness of deficits. This contrasts with true dementia, where patients often confabulate or attempt to answer despite impaired memory. Choice B reason: In dementia, attention and concentration are consistently impaired, not highly variable. This makes the statement inaccurate for distinguishing pseudodementia. Choice C reason: True dementia commonly involves language impairment and confabulation. The statement is incorrect in suggesting the opposite. Choice D reason: In pseudodementia, intellectual performance is typically intact outside of depressive episodes, and deficits are inconsistent, making the statement inaccurate.