Brain & Nervous System Alzheimer's Dementia & Related Cognitive Disorders What Are the Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD)? By Esther Heerema, MSW Esther Heerema, MSW Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Esther Heerema, MSW, shares practical tips gained from working with hundreds of people whose lives are touched by Alzheimer's disease and other kinds of dementia. Learn about our editorial process Updated on March 23, 2022 Medically reviewed by Nicholas R. Metrus, MD Medically reviewed by Nicholas R. Metrus, MD LinkedIn Nicholas R. Metrus, MD, is a board-certified neurologist and neuro-oncologist. He currently serves at the Glasser Brain Tumor Center in Summit, New Jersey. Learn about our Medical Expert Board Fact checked by Angela Underwood Fact checked by Angela Underwood LinkedIn Angela Underwood's extensive local, state, and federal healthcare and environmental news coverage includes 911 first-responder compensation policy to the Ciba-Geigy water contamination case in Toms River, NJ. Her additional health-related coverage includes death and dying, skin care, and autism spectrum disorder. Learn about our editorial process Print Behavioral and psychosocial symptoms of dementia (BPSD), or neuropsychiatric symptoms, are general terms used in the field of Alzheimer's disease and dementia to describe the challenging behaviors of dementia. Westend61 / Getty Images Isn't Dementia a Cognitive Disorder? Yes. It's a condition where the functioning of the brain deteriorates, causing impaired ability to think and interact appropriately with others and the environment. This brain deterioration frequently causes personality, behavioral, psychological, and emotional changes, which can be referred to as BPSD. Symptoms of BPSD Symptoms of BPSD include: AgitationRestlessness, pacing and wanderingAnxietyElationIrritabilityDepressionApathyDisinhibitionDelusionsHallucinationsSleep or appetite changes How Common Are BPSD Symptoms? The most common BPSD symptoms include apathy and agitation, irritability, sleep and appetite disorders, and mood disorders. In a 2017 study, 99.1% of 107 patients exhibited at least one BPSD symptom and 71% had four symptoms. These symptoms can be very frustrating and challenging for patients and their caregivers. Treatment Options for BPSD Symptoms In many cases, non-drug approaches are the safest and most effective way to manage these symptoms. Strategies such as attempting to determine the cause of the behavior and meet or prevent that need can be very effective at times. For example, is the person pacing, wandering, and agitated because he is experiencing boredom and loneliness? Then we need to provide him with meaningful activities, not just a bingo game. Is she unsafely trying to get up out of her chair repeatedly? We need to determine if she needs to use the bathroom or stretch her legs by going for a walk with you. In other situations, medications might be more appropriate. For example, if someone is experiencing distressing hallucinations, delusions, or paranoia, an antipsychotic medication might be appropriate to relieve the distress. However, these medications do have the potential for significant side effects, so careful monitoring is a must. 4 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Cerejeira J, Lagarto L, Mukaetova-Ladinska E. Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. Front Neurol. 2012;0. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2012.00073 Hugo J, Ganguli M. Dementia and cognitive impairment: epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment. Clin Geriatr Med. 2014;30(3):421-442. doi: 10.1016/j.cger.2014.04.001 Mukherjee A, Biswas A, Roy A, Biswas S, Gangopadhyay G, Das SK. Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia: correlates and impact on caregiver distress. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord Extra. 2017;7(3):354-365. doi: 10.1159/000481568 Ohno Y, Kunisawa N, Shimizu S. Antipsychotic treatment of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (Bpsd): management of extrapyramidal side effects. Front Pharmacol. 2019;10:1045. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2019.01045 By Esther Heerema, MSW Esther Heerema, MSW, shares practical tips gained from working with hundreds of people whose lives are touched by Alzheimer's disease and other kinds of dementia. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Medical Expert Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit