Cognitive-behavioral interventions for treatment of depression in Alzheimer's patients

This paper presents two strategies for treating depression in Alzheimer's patients. Cognitive therapy, used with mildly demented adults, challenges the patient's negative cognitions in order to reduce distortions and enable the patient to generate more adaptive ways of viewing specific situations and events. Behavioral intervention, used with more moderately or severely demented adults, attempts to modify person-environment interactions by increasing the level of positive activities and decreasing negative ones (Lewinsohn et al., 1984). Both theories have been used successfully in clinical settings.