Subramoniam Madhusoodanan, Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY 11203, United States.
World J Psychiatry. 2014 Dec 22;4(4):72-9. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v4.i4.72.
Dementia is a clinical syndrome with features of neurocognitive decline. Subtypes of dementia include Alzheimer's, frontotemporal, Parkinson's, Lewy body disease, and vascular type. Dementia is associated with a variety of neuropsychiatric symptoms that may include agitation, psychosis, depression, and apathy. These symptoms can lead to dangerousness to self or others and are the main source for caregiver burnout. Treatment of these symptoms consists of nonpharmacological and pharmacological interventions. However, there are no Food and Drug Administration-approved medications for the treatment of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. Pharmacological interventions are used off-label. This article reviews the current evidence supporting or negating the use of psychotropic medications along with safety concerns, monitoring, regulations, and recommendations.
痴呆是一种以神经认知功能下降为特征的临床综合征。痴呆的亚型包括阿尔茨海默病、额颞叶痴呆、帕金森病、路易体病和血管性痴呆。痴呆与各种神经精神症状相关，可能包括激越、精神病、抑郁和淡漠。这些症状可能导致自我或他人的危险，是导致照顾者精疲力竭的主要原因。这些症状的治疗包括非药物和药物干预。然而，目前还没有获得美国食品和药物管理局批准的用于治疗痴呆的行为和心理症状的药物。药物干预是在标签外使用的。本文综述了目前支持或否定使用精神药物治疗痴呆的行为和心理症状的证据，同时还讨论了安全性问题、监测、法规和建议。
