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Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are common and can dominate disease presentation. Antidepressions are commonly prescribed for depressive symptoms, but the evidence to support this practice is weak. The atypical antipsychotics risperidone and olanzepine have significant efficacy for the treatment of aggression and risperidone is also efficacious in the treatment of psychosis, but both with substantially increased risk of stroke. There are no newer studies of benzodiazepines in the treatment of anxiety and in old studies the efficacy are doubtful.

Purpose: To characterise the prescription pattern of psychotropics in Danish nursing homes and to identify diagnostic, behavioural, cognitive and performance characteristics associated with prevalent psychotropic drug use., Methods: Prescribed daily medication was recorded from nurses' files. Based on the Anatomical Therapeutical Chemical (ATC) classification index, psychotropics were categorised into neuroleptics, benzodiazepines and antidepressants. Two hundred and eighty-eight residents were diagnosed using the GMS-AGECAT. One hundred and eighteen staff members were interviewed about the residents's Activities of Daily Living (ADL), behavioural problems (Nursing Home Behavior Problem Scale), orientation, communication skills and if the resident had any psychiatric disorder. Multiple logistic regression was used to select the items that determined the use of psychotropics., Results: Fifty-six percent of the residents received a psychotropic, 21% received neuroleptics, 38% received benzodiazepines and 24% received antidepressants. In the multivariate analysis, staff assessment of the resident's mental health was a determinant for the use of all types of specific psychotropics, whereas a GMS-AGECAT diagnosis only determined the use of neuroleptics. Behavioural problems were a determinant for the use of neuroleptics and the use of benzodiazepines irrespective of the psychiatric diagnosis of the resident. Use of antidepressants was associated with male gender and increasing age., Conclusions: Staff perceptions of psychiatric morbidity and norms have a greater impact on the prescription of psychotropics than standardised clinical criteria., (Copyright 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

The objectives of this report were to investigate the functional implications and the possible rehabilitation potentials of dementia, delirium, and psychosis in elderly inpatients, compared with that in depression. During 1 year, all patients in a psychogeriatric university clinic were assessed on admission and at discharge with a selection of rating scales and diagnosed according to ICD-10 by consultants with no knowledge of the results of the ratings. All patients who had a principal diagnosis of major depression, dementia, delirium, or a psychosis are discussed. Ratings were made for psychopathology, behavioral disorders, depressive statements, intellectual functioning, activities of daily living, and gait. Depressive and delirious patients improved their status significantly (p < or = .03) in all six assessments, and patients with dementia improved their psychopathology status (p = .002), but the other assessments were unchanged. Results from the small sample (n = 8) of psychotic patients were mainly inconclusive, but there was a tendency for improvement with respect to psychopathology and gait.