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Important Notice: The Forum does not endorse any medical product or therapy. ALL medications and supplements should be taken ONLY under the supervision of a physician, due to the possibility of side-effects, drug interactions, etc.

Counseling and psychotherapy may provide some benefit in the early stages of AD, but as dementia progresses, the effects will be transient due to memory loss and lack of insight. Although the hard data on dynamic psychotherapy is difficult to judge (in the context of demented patients, but also in other contexts, partly because of person-to-person variability), the avowed goals of psychotherapy in demented patients are the same with the Alzheimer's disease patient as with any other patient:

1. A relationship in which the patient feels cared about.

2. Emotional outlet or catharsis.

3. Enhancement of self-esteem.

4. Minimization of psychological and behavioral problems

5. Increase in coping skills.

6. Enhancement in role functioning

7. A sense of control.

8. Ability to grieve over losses of roles, capacities, and significant others.

9. Development and maintenance of the most mature and productive defenses possible while shedding inappropriate defenses.

10. The development of insight.

In later stages, informal companionship, musical or recreational therapy, and involvement in appropriate activities may offer some of the benefits derived from formal counseling.

(see Hausman, C. 1992)