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Dementia: disinhibited behaviours
Inhibitions are the self-control mechanisms we all have that stop us doing things that break the rules of our society.
If someone close to you has dementia, you might notice that they stop following these social rules and behave in a way that’s very out of character for them.
This is called disinhibition, and it can look like:
- rude, tactless or hurtful comments
- sexual comments or inappropriate flirting
- undressing in public places
- touching their genitals in public
- impulsive actions, like dangerous driving.
- Organisation:
- Dementia Australia
- Topic:
- Dementia
- Target audience:
- General, Parents or carers
- Service area:
- National
- Published:
- August 2024
- Last reviewed:
- September 2025
Multilingual resources
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