Affiliation:
1. Assistant Professor, Department of Geriatric Mental Health, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, India.
2. Associate Professor, Department of Geriatric Mental Health, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, India.
3. Senior Resident, Department of Geriatric Mental Health, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, India
Abstract
Dementia is a chronic or progressive neurodegenerative condition which is organic in origin. There will
be impairment of thinking, memory orientation, comprehension, language, calculation, and judgement.
Alzheimer's disease facts and gures in 2021 according to Alzheimer's association shows Alzheimer's disease accounts for
60% to 80% of the total cases. Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia also known as neuropsychiatric
symptoms are a group of symptoms with behavioural and psychological manifestations. Disturbances include behavioural
symptoms like wandering, hoarding, physical aggression, sexually disinhibition, culturally inappropriate behaviour, agitation
and psychological symptoms like apathy, depression, anxiety, delusions, and hallucinations, sundowning, elation. Scales like
the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, the Behavioural Pathology in Alzheimer Disease rating scale, the Consortium to Establish a
Registry for Alzheimer Disease Behaviour Rating Scale for Dementia, Dementia Behaviour Disturbance scale, and the
Neurobehavioral Rating Scale can be utilized to recognise BPSD.Neuropsychological assessment also have an important role.
Non-pharmacological methodologies contain different sorts of treatment: tactile stimulation, pressure point massage, fragrant
healing, light treatment, garden exercises, music therapy, dance therapy, and Snoezelen multisensory therapy, psychological
strategies of multicomponent treatment strategies. Broadly focussing on sensory stimulation, social activities, structural
activities, behavioural activities, environmental activities, and training programmes. Pharmacological treatment includes
antipsychotics, mood stabilizers and antidepressants in treating BPSD, and cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine for the
situation of Alzheimer's dementia sedative/hypnotics for sleep issues. Treatment can be further categorized based on
individual NPS like agitation, psychosis, apathy, depression, sleep problems and other symptoms. Future treatment which has
less evidence as of now includes rTMS, TDCS and Photo biomodulation therapy