Philip Dopp, BSc

Dementia manifests itself in many ways within elderly populations. Given that symptoms associated with dementia, such as psychosis or behavioral disturbances, are common reasons for nursing home placement, it is not surprising that between 40% and 90% of residents of such institutions have some degree of dementia.^1,2 In recent years, atypical antipsychotics such as risperidone and olanzapine have been used with increasing frequency to deal with these distressing symptoms of dementia. Because of their favorable side effect profile, when compared to typical antipsychotics, and because studies have shown them to have equal, if not greater efficacy than typical antipsychotics, many geriatric psychiatrists recommend atypical antipsychotics as first-line treatment for psychosis and aggression in dementia.

The behavioral problems associated with dementia can be categorized as either non-aggressive or aggressive. Nonaggressive behavior includes wandering, pacing, bossiness, complaining and attention-seeking acts, while aggressive behavior includes hitting, pushing, scratching, biting, kicking and screaming. Management of these problems depends upon both the severity of the problem and the potential for the patient to harm themselves or others. In all cases, nonpharmacologic interventions, such as distracting the patient from the problem behavior, creating a structured environment for the patient and developing support groups for the caregiver, are appropriate.