Mdedge Psychcast

Sanjay Gupta, MD, conducts a Masterclass on treating geriatric patients with symptoms of dementia, particularly amid the restrictions tied to COVID-19. Dr. Gupta is chief medical officer at BryLin Hospital in Buffalo, N.Y. He is also is a clinical professor in the department of psychiatry at the State University of New York, Syracuse, and is affiliated with SUNY at Buffalo. Dr. Gupta attends at 8-10 nursing homes. He disclosed serving on the speakers’ bureaus of AbbVie, Acadia, Alkermes, Intra-Cellular Therapies, Janssen, and Otsuka. Take-home points Common neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with dementia include agitation, aggression, delusions, insomnia, anxiety, and depression. One-third of community-dwelling elders and between 60%-80% of nursing facility patients have these neuropsychiatric symptoms. The most common medication class Dr. Gupta uses is antipsychotics. The use of these medications in individuals with dementia is off label. The Food and Drug Administration maintains a black-box warning on