Escitalopram Treatment of Patients With Agitated Dementia

Inclusion Criteria: * Dementia of Alzheimer's type with behavioral disturbance * Mild to severe cognitive impairment * Age over 60 * Medically stable * Agitation present both at screening and baseline * Agitation not responsive to simple nonpharmacologic interventions and lasting at least 2 weeks prior to enrollment. * Available Health Care Proxy or other legal representative to give informed consent, and patient assent. * No planned change in environment for duration of study * At least one reliable caregiver Exclusion Criteria: * Any intercurrent medical problem that could explain the agitation * History of major depression or bipolar preceding the onset of dementia * Other major psychiatric illness preceding the onset of dementia or mental retardation * Other dementias * History of alcohol abuse or dependence in the last 2 years * Delirium (or history of delirium in the last 8 weeks) * Treatment with other psychotropic drugs except those permitted in the protocol. Patients already treated for agitation with psychotropic medication must be able to successfully discontinue it and tolerate a washout period of no less than 1 week. * Treatment with non-psychotropic, centrally active drugs believed to contribute to patient's agitation. * Severe psychiatric symptoms requiring psychiatric hospitalization or suicidal, homicidal potential. * History of intolerance to citalopram * Noncompliance with oral medication or inability to take oral medication * Modified Hachinski score of 4 or greater