Lavender oil as a treatment for agitated behaviour in severe dementia: a placebo controlled study.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether aromatherapy with lavender oil is effective in the treatment of agitated behaviour in patients with severe dementia.


METHODS
A placebo controlled trial with blinded observer rater.


METHODS
A long-stay psychogeriatric ward.


METHODS
Fifteen patients meeting ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for severe dementia and suffering from agitated behaviour defined as a minimum score of three points on the Pittsburgh Agitation Scale (PAS).


METHODS
A 2% lavender oil aromatherapy stream was administered on the ward for a two hour period alternated with placebo (water) every other day for a total of ten treatment sessions.


METHODS
For each subject 10 total PAS scores were obtained. Five during treatment and five during placebo periods.


RESULTS
Nine patients (60%) showed an improvement, five (33%) showed no change and one patient (7%) showed a worsening of agitated behaviour during aromatherapy compared with placebo. A comparison of the group median PAS scores during aromatherapy showed a significant improvement in agitated behaviour during aromatherapy compared with placebo (median PAS scores 3 c.f. 4; Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks test p = 0.016 (one-tailed)).


CONCLUSIONS
Lavender oil administered in an aroma stream shows modest efficacy in the treatment of agitated behaviour in patients with severe dementia.
Holmes
Clive
C
University of Southampton, School of Medicine, Community Clinical Sciences Research Division, Memory Assessment and Research Unit, Moorgreen Hospital, Southampton, UK. ch4@soton.ac.uk
Hopkins
Vivienne
V
Hensford
Christine
C
MacLaughlin
Vanessa
V
Wilkinson
David
D
Rosenvinge
Henry
H
D000368:Aged; D019341:Aromatherapy; D003704:Dementia / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D027523:Lavandula; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011595:Psychomotor Agitation / Q000628:therapy*; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D009822:Oils, Volatile; D010938:Plant Oils; C045718:lavender oil