Ethical Issues in Diagnosing and Treating Alzheimer Disease

Abstract

Many unique ethical issues arise when diagnosing and treating Alzheimer disease (AD). This article discusses several core ethical dilemmas that arise for psychiatrists during different stages of AD, focusing particularly on areas of consensus and controversy. Issues addressed include screening, genetic testing, and discussions of advance directives during early stages; telling soft and even outright lies during middle and late stages; and withholding life-preserving interventions during the last stage of AD when death is imminent. While there is overwhelming ethical consensus that psychiatrists should be fully honest and respect patient autonomy as much as possible during the early stages of disease, there is more controversy regarding the extent to which psychiatrists should do this during the later stages of disease. Possible, optimal approaches to resolving these ethical issues are presented.