Conceptualization of Agitation: Results Based on the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory and the Agitation Behavior Mapping Instrument

Many rating scales are available to assess the behavior of patients with dementia. Some of these scales have a broad focus and allow clinicians to rate various domains of function, either directly through patient observation or indirectly through caregiver interviews. Other scales are more specific, such as the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI; Cohen-Mansfield, Marx, Cohen-Mansfield, Werner, & Marx, 1989), which focus exclusively on agitated behaviors. As defined by Cohen-Mansfield and Billig (1986), agitation is inappropriate verbal, vocal, or motor activity that is not judged by an outside observer to result directly from the needs or confusion of the agitated person. Data gathered by using the CMAI and the ABMI have provided valuable insight into the subtypes of agitation, correlates of agitated behaviors, and the relationships between subtypes of agitation and cognitive functioning.