Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-24T13:06:25.121Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Minimising Antipsychotic Use for Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (Bpsd) in People with Intellectual Disability and Co-morbid Dementia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 April 2020

R. Hillier
Affiliation:
Intellectual Disability, Cornwall Foundation NHS Trust, Truro, United Kingdom
R. Patel
Affiliation:
Intellectual Disability, Your Healthcare, London, United Kingdom

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Introduction

Anti-psychotics have been used extensively in the past for BPSD. However, since the discovery that some atypical antipsychotics may be associated with an increased risk of cerebral thrombosis, this practice has been deemed more controversial.

Objectives

People with intellectual disability (ID) have higher rates of mental illness compared to the general population, including dementia. In particular, people with Down's syndrome have a higher incidence of Alzheimer's disease and an earlier age at onset, due to excess amyloid deposition in the brain. Here we describe prescribing patterns used in people with dementia ID and comorbid dementia.

Aims

We aim to show that it is possible to minimise the use of antipsychotics for BPSD in people with comorbid ID and dementia by the earlier use of anti-dementia drugs.

Methods

In some patients, we discontinued antipsychotics in favour of anti-dementia drugs to manage BPSD, whilst in others we avoided the use of antipsychotics entirely. We used the personal and social performance scale (PSP) as an outcome measure.

Results

Our outcomes show that it is possible to manage dementia symptoms and BPSD with anti dementia drugs whilst keeping anti psychotic prescribing to a minimum.

Conclusions

Similar findings have been reported in people with BPSD in the general population, but such findings but have not been widely reported in the ID population.

We were able to demonstrate the feasibility of keeping antipsychotic prescribing to a minimum and still remain in control of BPSD in a small number of patients with comorbid ID and dementia.

Type
Article: 1485
Copyright
Copyright © European Psychiatric Association 2015
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.