Antipsychotic treatment of psychosis and agitation in the elderly.

Agitated, aggressive behavior and psychosis are common manifestations of Alzheimer's disease that frequently lead to institutionalization. The usefulness of conventional neuroleptic treatment in this population is limited by narrow therapeutic windows because of limited efficacy and high sensitivity to side effects. More recently, investigational clinical trials have suggested potential utility for atypical antipsychotics such as risperidone, olanzapine, and quetiapine in treatment of behaviorally disturbed individuals and for the psychotic manifestations of dementia.