Abstract
Cognitive deficits are the recognised symptoms of the dementias of later life. However, behavioural symptoms also contribute significantly to the problem and are often the main reason for a clinical consultation. The present study describes non - cognitive behavioural symptoms in 30 patients during various stages of dementia. Anxiety, depressive features, agitation, wandering and paranoid symptoms are the main features. The paper also discusses the usefulness and limitation of pharmacological treatment of these symptoms.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (218.2 KB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Barnes R., Veith R., Okimoto J., Raskind M., Gumbrecht G. Efficacy of antipsychotic medications in behaviorally disturbed dementia patients. Am J Psychiatry. 1982 Sep;139(9):1170–1174. doi: 10.1176/ajp.139.9.1170. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Berrios G. E., Brook P. Delusions and the psychopathology of the elderly with dementia. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1985 Sep;72(3):296–301. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1985.tb02610.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Burns A., Jacoby R., Levy R. Psychiatric phenomena in Alzheimer's disease. I: Disorders of thought content. Br J Psychiatry. 1990 Jul;157:72-6, 92-4. doi: 10.1192/bjp.157.1.72. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Coccaro E. F., Kramer E., Zemishlany Z., Thorne A., Rice C. M., 3rd, Giordani B., Duvvi K., Patel B. M., Torres J., Nora R. Pharmacologic treatment of noncognitive behavioral disturbances in elderly demented patients. Am J Psychiatry. 1990 Dec;147(12):1640–1645. doi: 10.1176/ajp.147.12.1640. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Cummings J. L., Miller B., Hill M. A., Neshkes R. Neuropsychiatric aspects of multi-infarct dementia and dementia of the Alzheimer type. Arch Neurol. 1987 Apr;44(4):389–393. doi: 10.1001/archneur.1987.00520160031010. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Knesevich J. W., Martin R. L., Berg L., Danziger W. Preliminary report on affective symptoms in the early stages of senile dementia of the Alzheimer type. Am J Psychiatry. 1983 Feb;140(2):233–235. doi: 10.1176/ajp.140.2.233. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Reisberg B., Ferris S. H., de Leon M. J., Crook T. The Global Deterioration Scale for assessment of primary degenerative dementia. Am J Psychiatry. 1982 Sep;139(9):1136–1139. doi: 10.1176/ajp.139.9.1136. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Rubin E. H., Kinscherf D. A. Psychopathology of very mild dementia of the Alzheimer type. Am J Psychiatry. 1989 Aug;146(8):1017–1021. doi: 10.1176/ajp.146.8.1017. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- SUGERMAN A. A., WILLIAMS B. H., ADLERSTEIN A. M. HALOPERIDOL IN THE PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS OF OLD AGE. Am J Psychiatry. 1964 Jun;120:1190–1192. doi: 10.1176/ajp.120.12.1190. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
