This editorial delves into the research behind behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD).

The term behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) first arose following a meeting of the International Psychogeriatric Association (IPA) in 1996.

The primary purposes of the meeting was to review current understandings of 'behavioural disturbances' of dementia, as they were then described, and to reach consensus on four key areas, namely, definition of symptoms, causes of symptoms, definitions of clinical symptoms, and research directions.

While behavioural symptoms associated with dementia have been documented since the condition was first recognised, it was not until the 1980s that a dedicated focus on the behavioural symptoms associated with dementia clearly emerged.