A new study has concluded that behavioral therapy may be more effective in treating symptoms of dementia than commonly prescribed antipsychotic medication. Learn more about the study, the benefits of behavioral therapy and the risks of antipsychotic medication for people with dementia.
Antipsychotic Medication vs. Behavioral Therapy
As most dementia and Alzheimer’s disease caregivers know, dementia is more than just losing memory. Aggressive behaviors, wandering, anxiety and agitation are a few of the symptoms that affect many people with the disease. These symptoms are most commonly treated with antipsychotic drugs. In fact, according to a recent report from the Government Accountability Office, 33% of people with dementia in nursing homes are prescribed antipsychotic medication. Overall, approximately 14% of people with dementia are taking an antipsychotic.
A new study published in the British Medical Journal challenged the widespread use of antipsychotic medication to treat dementia symptoms by concluding that antipsychotics are less effective than non-drug treatments when it comes to managing symptoms of dementia. Researchers observed over twenty years of studies and concluded that dementia symptoms were best managed when caregivers were properly trained how to communicate with and engage the person living with dementia.
While acknowledging that medication can be necessary in emergency situations, they found that antipsychotics were about half as effective as behavioral therapy techniques and that their use can have deadly side effects that increases over time.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agrees and has issued a warning cautioning that antipsychotics can increase the risk of mortality for people with dementia.
Behavioral Therapy as a Long-Term Solution
Dr. Helen Kales, director of the University of Michigan’s Program for Positive Aging and author of the study, said of the results:
“Why I think the caregiver interventions work is because they train caregivers to look for the triggers of the symptoms. And when [caregivers] see the triggers of the symptoms, they train them to manage them… It’s inherently patient- and caregiver-centered.”
She also spoke about the risk of mortality associated with antipsychotic drugs, stating that the risk is small over the short term but increases the longer the drug is used.
The findings lead one to wonder why doctors still prescribing antipsychotic medication to people with dementia. Dr. Kales says she believes that many health care provides are not as familiar with non-drug approaches and those that are, are rarely reimbursed by insurance for non-drug options.
Have you seen the positive effects of behavior therapy on a loved one with dementia? What was your experience like? Share your story with us in the comments below.
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