Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) are those "...symptoms of disturbed perception, thought content, mood, or behavior that frequently occur in patients with dementia."
(International Psychogeriatric Association, 1999)
They include, but are not limited to:
Behavioral symptoms (usually identified on the basis of observation of the patient) - physical aggression, screaming, restlessness, agitation, wandering, culturally inappropriate behaviors, sexual disinhibition, hoarding, cursing & shadowing.
Psychological symptoms (usually and mainly assessed on the basis of interviews with patients and relatives) - anxiety, depressive mood, hallucinations and delusions.
Behavioural & Psychological Symptoms of Dementia Power Point - by Joye St. Onge