Psychological Treatment of Dementia

Symptoms of dementia include memory loss, inappropriate behavior, mood swings, loss of interest in previous activities, trouble finding words or phrases, failure to dress correctly or bathe often. Those suffering from the illness often require constant monitoring and can be quite difficult to control upon occasion. Finding the right treatment for dementia is key to maintaining a good quality of life for dementia patients and their families.

Psychiatrists Evaluate Physical Causes of Dementia First

• After psychiatrists determine that symptoms of dementia exist in a patient, they will carefully evaluate all patient medications to ensure that medicines given to treat physical illnesses are not causing mental difficulties.
  Once medicines are ruled out as a cause of dementia, psychiatrists will try to use pharmacological means to alleviate the symptoms of the disorder. Treatment may include vitamin supplements to address specific deficiencies, thyroid hormones to address hypothyroidism, medications to alleviate depression, medications to treat high blood pressure and treatment for brain cancers or infections that may be responsible for the dementia.
  When all these methods have been applied and significant symptoms of dementia still remain, psychiatrists will prescribe other therapeutic methods.

Occupational Therapy

• Occupational therapy is specifically designed to help patients care for themselves, thus making them more independent and alleviating costs and stresses borne by those who must otherwise care for them.
  Occupational therapist may help patients relearn basic skills like bathing, preparing simple meals, washing clothes and moving around the home or neighborhood.
  In some cases occupational therapy instruction is provided to caregivers along with dementia patients in order to help them learn how to maintain patient skills and encourage independent patient function over time.

Recreational Therapy

• Recreational therapies are often prescribed by psychologists and psychiatrists to change behavior or improve function in dementia patients. Treatment is tailored to the patient, focusing on experiences they enjoy and actively participate in.
  Recreational therapy can include supervised walking programs that allow dementia patients to explore interesting locations, human-animal interaction programs that allow patients to groom and care for pets, grooming activities that allow patients to apply make-up or experiment with hair styles. Simple recreational games involving balls or scavenger hunts which change from day to day can also help dementia patients recover function.

Treating Dementia

• Take the patient to a licensed psychiatrist for evaluation for dementia. Complete all prescribed testing to ensure that all physical causes for dementia that can be alleviated have been applied. Work with the psychiatrist, or the psychologist he refers you to, to explore occupational and recreational therapies designed to maintain and improve basic function while alleviating mood swings and unwanted behaviors.