title: Lavender oil as a treatment for agitated behaviour in severe dementia: a placebo controlled study.
abstract: 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.
authors: University of Southampton, School of Medicine, Community Clinical Sciences Research Division, Memory Assessment and Research Unit, Moorgreen Hospital, Southampton, UK. ch4@soton.ac.uk
authors: Clive
authors: C
authors: Holmes
authors: Vivienne
authors: V
authors: Hopkins
authors: Christine
authors: C
authors: Hensford
authors: Vanessa
authors: V
authors: MacLaughlin
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Wilkinson
authors: Henry
authors: H
authors: Rosenvinge
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D009822:Oils, Volatile; D010938:Plant Oils; C045718:lavender oil