Managing the Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia

AbstractPurpose of ReviewAlzheimer ’s disease and related dementias are the source of significant distress, impairment, and caregiver burden in aging populations. A prominent reason for this impact is the Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD). Common BPSD include disruptive behaviors, such as agitation, aggressio n, severe anxiety, delusions, depression, apathy, and sleep disturbances. Specific dementias, such as behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies, are associated with socioemotional disturbances and visual hallucinations, respectively. The aim of this review is to presen t current treatment options for the major BPSD.Recent FindingsThe management of the BPSD requires familiarity with non-pharmacological interventions and skill in the use of pharmacological agents in patients with dementias. This review outlines five important areas of non-pharmacological intervention. It then discusses the use of serotonergic medications, before considering antipsychotic drugs for disruptive behaviors and other BPSD. What is known about psychoactive drug use in cognitively normal populations does not necessarily apply to those with dementia, and the current treatment of patients with dementia emphasizes the need to consider their increased susceptibility to side effects from antipsychotic drugs.SummaryEffective dementia care requires knowing both non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventions for the BPSD, which are present in ...
Source: Current Treatment Options in Neurology - Category: Neurology Source Type: research