The many things psychiatrists can treat that make positive differences for people with dementia and their families

Disappointing results from high profile dementia drug trials tend to grab the headlines and can obscure the reality that psychiatrists already have access to a large number of evidenced interventions that improve symptoms and quality of life and are approved by NICE for use in the NHS. If we were to use the full range of potentially available and clinically effective treatments with our patients, this would have a much greater positive impact on people with dementia and their families than any of the expensive and invasive drug treatments currently in late phase trials.

And yet, we don’t appreciate and celebrate the treatment tools that we already have and consequently our patients suffer from a huge implementation gap. Using the examples of long-term cholinesterase inhibitor treatment, evidence-based use of low dose risperidone, adapted psychological treatments and interventions to support family caregivers, Professor Robert Howard will argue that we should make sure that no patient with dementia is left behind when it comes to access to treatments that we already know work before we invest NHS resources in headline-grabbing novelties that lack clinical effectiveness.

Chair: Dr Trudi Seneviratne, Registrar, Royal College of Psychiatrists

Professor Robert Howard, UCL Division of Psychiatry