PRACTICE GUIDEL INE FOR THE Treatment of Patients With Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias Second Edition WORK GROUP ON ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND OTHER DEMENTIAS

A guideline watch, summarizing significant developments in the scientific literature since publication of this guideline , may be available in the Psychiatric Practice section of the APA Web site at www.psych.org. reports no competing interests. The Executive Committee on Practice Guidelines has reviewed this guideline and found no evidence of influence from these relationships. The APA Practice Guidelines are not intended to be construed or to serve as a standard of medical care. Standards of medical care are determined on the basis of all clinical data available for an individual patient and are subject to change as scientific knowledge and technology advance and practice patterns evolve. These parameters of practice should be considered guidelines only. Adherence to them will not ensure a successful outcome for every individual, nor should they be interpreted as including all proper methods of care or excluding other acceptable methods of care aimed at the same results. The ultimate judgment regarding a particular clinical procedure or treatment plan must be made by the psychiatrist in light of the clinical data presented by the patient and the diagnostic and treatment options available. This practice guideline has been developed by psychiatrists who are in active clinical practice. In addition, some contributors are primarily involved in research or other academic endeavors. It is possible that through such activities some contributors, including work group members and reviewers, have received income related to treatments discussed in this guideline. A number of mechanisms are in place to minimize the potential for producing biased recommendations due to conflicts of interest. Work group members are selected on the basis of their expertise and integrity. Any work group member or reviewer who has a potential conflict of interest that may bias (or appear to bias) his or her work is asked to disclose this to the Steering Committee on Practice Guidelines and the work group. Iterative guideline drafts are reviewed by the Steering Committee, other experts, allied organizations, APA members, and the APA Assembly and Board of Trustees; substantial revisions address or integrate the comments of these multiple reviewers. The development of the APA Practice Guidelines is not financially supported by any commercial organization. More detail about mechanisms in place to minimize bias is provided in a document entitled " APA Guideline Development Process, " which is available from the APA Department of Quality Improvement and Psychiatric Services. This practice guideline was developed under the …