Late-Life Psychosis: Diagnosis and Treatment | SpringerLink

Late-Life Psychosis: Diagnosis and Treatment | SpringerLink: Psychosis%20is%20one%20of%20the%20most%20common%20conditions%20in%20later%20life%20with%20a%20lifetime%20risk%20of%2023%A0%25.%20Despite%20its%20high%20prevalence%2C%20late-onset%20psychosis%20remains%20a%20diagnostic%20and%20treatment%20dilemma.%20There%20are%20no%20reliable%20pathognomonic%20signs%20to%20distinguish%20primary%20or%20secondary%20psychosis.%20Primary%20psychosis%20is%20a%20diagnosis%20of%20exclusion%20and%20the%20clinician%20must%20rule%20out%20secondary%20causes.%20Approximately%2060%A0%25%20of%20older%20patients%20with%20newly%20incident%20psychosis%20have%20a%20secondary%20psychosis.%20In%20this%20article%2C%20we%20review%20current%2C%20evidence-based%20diagnostic%20and%20treatment%20approaches%20for%20this%20heterogeneous%20condition%2C%20emphasizing%20a%20thorough%20evaluation%20for%20the%20%u201Csix%20d%u2019s%u201D%20of%20late-life%20psychosis%20%28delirium%2C%20disease%2C%20drugs%20dementia%2C%20depression%2C%20delusions%29.%20Treatment%20is%20geared%20towards%20the%20specific%20cause%20of%20psychosis%20and%20tailored%20based%20on%20comorbid%20conditions.%20Frequently%2C%20environmental%20and%20psychosocial%20interventions%20are%20first-line%20treatments%20with%20the%20judicious%20use%20of%20pharmacotherapy%20as%20needed.%20There%20is%20an%20enormous%20gap%20between%20the%20prevalence%20of%20psychotic%20disorders%20in%20older%20adults%20and%20the%20availability%20of%20evidence-based%20treatment.%20The%20dramatic%20growth%20in%20the%20elderly%20population%20over%20the%20first%20half%20of%20this%20century%20creates%20a%20compelling%20need%20to%20address%20this%20gap.%0A