Benefits of psychotherapeutic treatment in Alzheimer patients in the early stage of the disease

Psychological changes may precede the neuropsychological symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In addition, early stages of AD are often accompanied by a depressive disorder. Therefore, we reasoned whether AD patients might profit from psychotherapy. The aim would be to alleviate anxiety, dis couragement, and inactivation of patients suffering from the early stages of AD. According to preliminary experience with a small number of treated cases, interpersonal psychotherapy, modified for application in ''late-life'' (IPT-LL), has been found to be useful for the treatment of AD patients. The case of an AD patient is presented who underwent psychotherapy for two years. Besides describing the special features of such treatment, we address the question of how the next relative (e.g.,the spouse) may be included in the therapeutic process.