Dementia is a colloquial term to refer to what is formally called Major Neurocognitive Disorder (MND) as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5th edition (DSM-5). In short, dementia is diagnosed by cognitive decline and a loss of function (decreased ability to perform daily tasks). Many possible etiologies lead to the syndrome of dementia, including Alzheimer dementia, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body dementia, and Parkinson disease, among others.
Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, or BPSD, are neuropsychiatric symptoms that accompany the syndrome of dementia, such as delusions, hallucinations, apathy, anxiety, depression, or disinhibition. BPSD symptoms are prevalent and can significantly impact the prognosis and management of dementia. BPSD includes emotional, perceptual, and behavioral disturbances that are similar to those seen in psychiatric disorders. It may be clinically useful to classify them into 5 domains: cognitive or perceptual (delusions, hallucinations), motor (pacing, wandering, repetitive movements, physical aggression), verbal (yelling, calling out, repetitive speech, verbal aggression), emotional (euphoria, depression, apathy, anxiety, irritability), and vegetative (disturbances in sleep and appetite).
Copyright © 2026, StatPearls Publishing LLC.