What is alcohol-induced dementia? Wendy Williams' son opens up on her changed behavior in revelatory Lifetime documentary 

The four-part documentary Where Is Wendy Williams?, premiered on Lifetime, with two parts released each on February 24 and 25. The show revolves around the current whereabouts of Wendy Williams and her struggles with alcoholism, cognitive troubles, guardianship, and more.

As part of the documentary, Williams’ son Kevin Hunter Jr. alleged that his mother’s doctors told him that she had “alcohol-induced dementia," which led to a changed and "erratic" behavior. As per Fox News, the condition leads to cognitive impairment due to chronic and severe alcohol abuse.

The 23-year-old explained that, as per the medical information he had, Wendy’s drinking addiction began to impact "her headspace and her brain," as also reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

In the wake of this revelation, here’s exploring the meaning of alcohol-induced dementia.

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Wendy Williams is reportedly suffering from frontotemporal dementia

According to Fox News, on February 22, Wendy Williams’ care team released a statement to the press, saying that the former talk-show host has been diagnosed with "primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD)," which was revealed after "a battery of medical tests" in 2023. The press release stated:

"Aphasia, a condition affecting language and communication abilities, and frontotemporal dementia, a progressive disorder impacting behavior and cognitive functions, have already presented significant hurdles in Wendy's life."

While the representatives did not reveal what led to her current diagnosis and said they aimed to "correct inaccurate and hurtful rumors about her health," her son Kevin Jr. claimed it was “alcohol-induced” on the docuseries Where is Wendy Williams?

Dr. Suzette Glasner, who has a doctorate in psychology, told Fox News that Kevin Jr.’s claims were not unfounded and that there is a link between alcoholism and dementia. While she hasn’t treated Wendy Williams, the Los Angeles doctor claimed that heavy drinking over time can lead to damage in both white and gray matter inside the human brain and lead to declining cognitive function, including dementia. Glasner added:

"These neurocognitive impacts are a result of a combination of alcohol’s direct neurotoxic effects, depletion of nutrients in the body, impacts on liver functioning, and disruption of communication between nerve cells in the brain."

The expert, who works at a digital health firm called Palego, which focuses on substance use management, continued by saying how chronic alcohol abuse can lead to brain damage, affecting the individual’s reasoning, memory, attention, judgment, language, and problem-solving. Glasner explained:

"In many cases, individuals who misuse or are addicted to alcohol and drugs struggle with overlapping chronic medical and psychiatric conditions, and this can make it very challenging to determine the etiology or cause of neurocognitive symptoms such as those observed in Wendy Williams."

Dr. Glasner also talked about Wendy Williams previously suffering from Grave’s disease, which the TV presenter has spoken about in the past. The autoimmune disease earlier showed neuropsychiatric symptoms, including cognitive decline, as per Williams, but later got better with treatment.

But as per Glasner, alcohol and drug abuse can "complicate or interfere with treatment response, making improvements less likely," something she fears happened with Wendy.

She also added that women are more prone to alcohol-induced dementia in comparison to men and can often get affected at a younger age. Withdrawing from drinking fully or partially can help reverse the symptoms, as per Dr. Glasner. However, if left undiagnosed, untreated, or in cases of continued drinking, the condition gets worse.

A geriatric and dementia specialist from San Francisco, Dr. Elizabeth Landsverk, also told Fox News that substance abuse and dementia were directly connected, however, the extent of their impact is still under research.

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More on Wendy Williams’ dementia

Wendy Williams’ son revealed as part of the documentary that his mother had undergone behavioral and personality changes after being diagnosed with alcohol-induced dementia. Immediately after he said this, the screen changed to dark mode, and the following text appeared as per The Sun.

"This is the first time that anyone mentioned a dementia diagnosis during production of the documentary."

Meanwhile, sources close to the 59-year-old further told The Sun that Williams allegedly first showed signs of brain disorders in 2019 and spent time in rehabilitation in Delray Beach, Florida.

Later, in April 2023, she was reportedly admitted to a facility to treat "cognitive issues" due to alleged alcohol misuse and has since reached nearly fatal stages more than once.

Meanwhile, Thursday’s press release by Williams’ team said the purpose was to raise awareness about FTD and aphasia and support others with similar diagnoses, rather than gain compassion for the host while confirming she was currently seeking medical care.