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Current Psychiatry Reports
Published in: Current Psychiatry Reports 1/2016

01-01-2016 | Geriatric Disorders (W McDonald, Section Editor)

Agitation and Irritability in Alzheimer’s Disease: Evidenced-Based Treatments and the Black-Box Warning

Authors: Aaron M. Koenig, Steven E. Arnold, Joel E. Streim

Published in: Current Psychiatry Reports | Issue 1/2016

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Abstract

More than five million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and this number is expected to triple by 2050. While impairments in cognition, particularly memory, are typically the defining features of the clinical syndrome, behavioral symptoms are extremely common, affecting up to 90 % of patients. Behavioral symptoms in AD can be difficult to manage and may require a combination of non-pharmacological and pharmacological approaches. The latter is complicated by FDA “black-box warnings” for the medication classes most often used to target these symptoms, and currently there are initiatives in place to limit their use. In this review, we describe common behavioral symptoms of AD—with a particular focus on the challenging symptoms of “agitation” and “irritability”—and discuss evidence-based approaches to their management. Ultimately, multidimensional approaches must be tailored to the patient and their environment, though evidence-based practices should define the treatment of agitation and irritability in AD.
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Metadata
Title
Agitation and Irritability in Alzheimer’s Disease: Evidenced-Based Treatments and the Black-Box Warning
Authors
Aaron M. Koenig
Steven E. Arnold
Joel E. Streim
Publication date
01-01-2016
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Current Psychiatry Reports / Issue 1/2016
Print ISSN: 1523-3812
Electronic ISSN: 1535-1645
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-015-0640-7

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