Behavioral symptoms of dementia are often more distressing to family caregivers than cognitive impairments and may lead to need for institutionalization. It is possible to distinguish two types of behavioral symptoms: disturbing and non-disturbing (Fig. 1). The main non-disturbing symptom is apathy that the most common behavioral symptom in individuals with dementia (1) and is often not treated because apathetic individuals pose little problem for their caregivers. However, presence of apathy is decreasing quality of life and functional abilities (2) and increases irritability (3). Presence of apathy should be addressed by psychosocial interventions such as structured activities, music therapy (4), or multisensory behavior therapy (Snoezelen) (5).
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