title: Agitation and aggression in Alzheimer's disease: an update on pharmacological and psychosocial approaches to care.
abstract: Agitation and aggression are prevalent in Alzheimer's disease and have significant consequences for the patient, caregiver and care system more generally. We briefly discuss the epidemiology and etiology of agitation and aggression in Alzheimer's disease and provide an overview of assessment and approaches to care. We then review the evidence for and against a number of pharmacological and psychosocial approaches to care. There has been a growth in the evidence base for psychosocial interventions and nonpharmacological approaches to care should ordinarily be the first option. Antipsychotics remain the pharmacological agents with most evidence to support their use while there is more limited evidence for other agents such as carbamazepine and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as citalopram.
authors.affiliation: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, 2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, ON, M4N 3M5, Canada.
authors.forename: Damien
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gallagher
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Herrmann
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000067250:Psychiatric Rehabilitation / Q000379:methods*; D011595:Psychomotor Agitation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs
keywords: Alzheimer's disease; aggression; agitation; pharmacological; psychosocial