In light of my recent discovery of the massive influence the pharmaceutical industry has on psychiatry, I was glad to read the quotes of a physician. It lent the piece an authoritative, believable tone, because I don't tend to think of internists as having pharma-coins jingling in their pockets. I was also educational in pointing out the immense physical degeneration that accompanies dementia--with and without aggressive drug treatment.

It's an interesting article because it diverges from the general consensus of 'hit the disease with everything we've got.' It addresses an aspect that is often overlooked: how the patient feels, as opposed to how to combat the physical aspect of the disease. The 'treatment' of 'schizophrenics' and their accounts of it attest to how bombarding the patient with 'appropriate medication' is often a bad idea, with horrific consequences.

An eye-opening element in the article is how stark the numbers were between the decision to adopt aggressive treatment by families who were/weren't aware of the progressive and terminal nature of dementia. 27 percent for those who knew, as opposed to 73 percent for the unaware.

A prolonged life in either excruciating pain, or a vegetative state, aren't great options.