Abstract
The issue of this article concerned the discussion about tools frequently used tools for assessing neuropsychiatric symptoms of patients with dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease. The aims were to discuss the main tools for evaluating behavioral disturbances, and particularly the accuracy of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory – Clinician Rating Scale (NPI-C). The clinical approach to and diagnosis of neuropsychiatric syndromes in dementia require suitable accuracy. Advances in the recognition and early accurate diagnosis of psychopathological symptoms help guide appropriate pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. In addition, recommended standardized and validated measurements contribute to both scientific research and clinical practice. Emotional distress, caregiver burden, and cognitive impairment often experienced by elderly caregivers, may affect the quality of caregiver reports. The clinician rating approach helps attenuate these misinterpretations. In this scenario, the NPI-C is a promising and versatile tool for assessing neuropsychiatric syndromes in dementia, offering good accuracy and high reliability, mainly based on the diagnostic impression of the clinician. This tool can provide both strategies: a comprehensive assessment of neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia or the investigation of specific psychopathological syndromes such as agitation, depression, anxiety, apathy, sleep disorders, and aberrant motor disorders, among others.
Highlights
Neuropsychiatric disorders are a major clinical condition among patients with dementia, Alzheimer’s disease (AD)
Neuropsychiatric disturbances were added to the diagnostic criteria of AD that traditionally included cognitive and functional decline.[6,7]
Methodological procedures were designed to critically discuss tools targeting the assessment of neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with dementia, especially Alzheimer’s disease
Summary
Neuropsychiatric disorders are a major clinical condition among patients with dementia, Alzheimer’s disease (AD). These disorders affect most of these patients, with a prevalence of up to 80%.1,2. Nificant prevalence of neuropsychiatric disorders in AD, mainly agitation, aggression, irritability, depression, anxiety, apathy, behavior disorders, sleep disturbances, delusions and hallucinations.[3,4,5]. Neuropsychiatric symptoms may co-occur, i.e., frequently several syndromes co-exist with another, such as depression with anxiety, depression with apathy, delusions with agitation, irritability with aggression, psychotic symptoms and wandering. Correlated with one another, these disorders do not represent a single concept, and can be divided into distinct syndromic groups given their specific prevalence, clinical course, neurobiological bases, and psychosocial determinants.[8,9,10]
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