Challenges in the Management of an Elderly Patient with Chronic Schizophrenia and Dementia

As the patients with Schizophrenia live longer, the emergence of cognitive complaints become challenging to the geriatricians and psychiatrists in terms of diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. This is taking into account the various drug combinations given to manage the psychotic symptoms of Schizophrenia, many of which contain anticholinergic properties which increase the risk of delirium among the elderly. In addition to drugs, the presence of depression and delirium are both common in the elderly and may have implications on diagnosis and long term outcome.

Keywords: Schizophrenia, psychosis, dementia, delirium, depression.