title: Psychiatric symptoms of dementia: Treatable, but no silver bullet.
abstract: Behavioral problems are common in dementia and may reduce the quality of life of the patient and disrupt the home life of family members. Families want a pill that can cure the myriad phenotypes of a decaying brain; unfortunately, there is no pharmaceutical silver bullet. This paper reviews the evidence for using different classes of drugs for the behavior symptoms commonly encountered in dementia, focusing on concerns that the primary care physician would have about using these drugs.
authors.affiliation: Kaiser Permanente Medical Group, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, OH 44195, USA.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Schwab
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Messinger-Rapport
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Franco
mesh_terms: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001519:Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D003704:Dementia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents