Therapeutic lying in dementia care.

As part of a service evaluation, a questionnaire and a 12-item set of guidelines on the use of therapeutic lies were sent electronically to 76 psychiatrists in north east England; 38% (n = 29) of the psychiatrists responded. Approximately three quarters of the respondents (n = 21) thought the guidelines could improve communication skills, but only half (n = 15) felt the guidelines provided an ethical guide to practice. Of note is the fact that 69% (n = 20) of the respondents said they had lied to someone lacking capacity when it was deemed to be in the person's best interests and 66% (n = 19) said they had sanctioned the use of lies by carers. These results are discussed, alongside qualitative information to explore the use of therapeutic lies in dementia care.