Hello @helenfrances My apologies for the slow reply--I have been away for the holiday. The answer to your question is somewhat complicated. Mild Cognitive Impairment is a syndrome of cognitive decline in one area (most often memory). There can be many causes for MCI including early signs of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, vascular disease, thyroid disease, and even depression. So, MCI can in fact BE depression. This is one of the reasons evaluation of cognitive changes/concerns is so important. So that we can treat anything that may be treatable, such as depression. There are times, however, when we think MCI is related to a neurologic problem like early Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease but that person may ALSO be depressed. A comprehensive evaluation for cognitive changes that includes neuropsychological evaluation and neurologic evaluation will help sort our the pattern of impairment and what may be the cause or causes, as well as recommend any treatments. I hope this helps.