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.