Clinical diagnosis of dementia, not behavioral and psychologic symptoms, is associated with psychotropic drug use in community-dwelling elders classified as having dementia.
Little is known about the prevalence and correlates of psychotropic drug use in community-dwelling elders with dementia. Baseline data from 285 community-dwelling elders with a research classification of dementia enrolled in the observational Memory and Medical Care Study were analyzed. Of these, 33.3% with a research classification of dementia were clinically diagnosed, 28.8% used at least 1 psychotropic drug, and 61.8% had at least 1 behavioral or psychologic symptom of dementia. Presence of a behavioral or psychologic symptom of dementia was associated with a higher likelihood of a clinical diagnosis of dementia. A clinical diagnosis of dementia, not a behavioral or psychologic symptom of dementia, was associated with psychotropics use. Clinical recognition of dementia appears to be an intermediate step between presence of symptoms of dementia and the prescription of psychotropics. Most community-dwelling elders meeting the research criteria for dementia were not clinically diagnosed, despite contact with a physician (89%) in the previous year.
Chan
Ding-Chen
DC
Harvard Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Kasper
Judith D
JD
Black
Betty S
BS
Rabins
Peter V
PV
D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000145:classification; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015142:Baltimore; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008297:Male; D008396:Maryland; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013223:Statistics as Topic
D011619:Psychotropic Drugs