[Neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementias: preliminary report of a prospective outpatient evaluation in Brazil].

This study aimed to evaluate the behavioral and psychological symptoms in dementia (BPSD) and to correlate the level of the functional dependence, cognitive decline and neuropsychiatric symptoms in outpatients. In this prospective study, 35 elderly with dementia (DSM-IV) were evaluated over the course of one year with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR), Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ). Spearman correlation was used to compare cognitive, functional and behavioral symptoms in the first and last visits.