title: The angry elderly patient. An approach to understanding.
abstract: Management of an angry or violent elderly patient can be difficult. It is most helpful to understand that the cause of the combatant behavior can be physical, psychologic, or drug-related. If the patient is approachable, immediate management involves sitting down with him or her to calmly discuss what happened. If the patient is unapproachable, a gentle but firm show of force and administration of a sedative is required. All patients with dramatic change in behavior should receive a complete physical examination to rule out a reversible cause. Long-term management may be arduous but is worthwhile.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology*; D000786:Anger; D001519:Behavior; D003693:Delirium / Q000175:diagnosis; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D006801:Humans; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D014754:Violence