Agitation in Alzheimer Disease: A Behavioral Snapshot with Geriatric Psychiatrist George Grossberg, MD

"The most common behavioral or what we call neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer's disease, as far as the disabling symptoms are concerned, [are] by far and away [of] agitation."

George Grossberg, MD, the Samuel W Fordyce professor and director of Geriatric Psychiatry at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, offered a snapshot of the prevalence and disruptive characteristics of agitation in Alzheimer disease during an interview with Patient Care® this week. Depending on the setting considered and the stage of Alzheimer dementia, research suggests that a "minimum of 50% of patients are affected by the spectrum of agitated behaviors," he explained.

In the short video above, Grossberg talks to primary clinicians in particular about the range of behaviors that may be ascribed to clinical agitation and emphasizes how important it is for all clinicians who care for individuals with Alzheimer disease to "know as much about triggers and treatment approaches as possible."

George T Grossberg, MD, is the Samuel W. Fordyce professor and director of Geriatric Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. He is a past president of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry and of the International Psychogeriatric Association. Grossberg's research focus includes behavioral symptoms in Alzheimer disease and novel therapies for neurocognitive disorders.