Korean J Psychosom Med.  2023 Jun;31(1):1-9. 10.22722/KJPM.2023.31.1.1.

Non-Pharmacological Interventions for Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Neurocognitive Disorder

• Kim H
• Lee KJ

• KMID: 2550633
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.22722/KJPM.2023.31.1.1

Abstract

Patients with neurocognitive disorder show behavioral psychological symptoms such as agitation, aggression, depression, and wandering, as well as cognitive decline, which puts a considerable burden on patients and their families. For the treatment of behavioral psychological symptoms, patient-centered, non-pharmacological treatment should be used as a first line approach. This paper describes non-pharmacological interventions to manage and treat behavioral psychological symptoms in patients with neurocognitive disorder. In order to control behavioral psychological symptoms such as agitation, depression, apathy, insomnia, and wandering, it is important to identify and evaluate factors such as environmental changes and drugs, and then solve such problems. Non-pharmacological interventions include reassurance, encourage, distraction, and environmental change. It is necessary to understand behavior from a patient's point of view and to approach the patient's needs and abilities appropriately. Reminiscence therapy, music therapy, aroma therapy, multisensory stimulation therapy, exercise therapy, light therapy, massage therapy, cognitive intervention therapy, and pet therapy are used as non-pharmacological interventions, and these approaches are known to improve symptoms such as depression, apathy, agitation, aggression, anxiety, wandering, and insomnia. However, the quality of the evidence base for non-pharmacological approaches is generally lower than for pharmacological treatments. Therefore, more extensive and accurate effectiveness verification studies are needed in the future.

Keyword

Neurocognitive disorder; Dementia; Behavioral and psychological symptoms; Non-pharmacological interventions