Managing anxiety in people with dementia. A case series

Anxiety is common in people with dementia but little is known about its treatment. Seven cases with moderate/severe dementia and significant clinical anxiety are described. Anxiety symptoms were measured using the RAID scale. Anxiety was managed with pharmacological and psychosocial interventions. All patients showed a significant clinical improvement in their anxiety and had a considerable reduction in their RAID scores. Assessment and effective treatment of anxiety in dementia should improve patient's quality of life and should become more established in good clinical practice. Further research should include a randomised controlled trial of interventions to reduce anxiety.