Abstract The clinical overlap between behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and primary psychiatric disorders (PPD) often results in delayed and incorrect diagnoses. We performed a literature review of 16 studies to evaluate how neuropsychiatric, behavioral, and social cognitive symptoms can aid in distinguishing bvFTD from PPD during early clinical assessment. Our study revealed differences in symptom profile and trajectory in the two diseases. Apathy, disinhibition, and compulsions were more likely to progress in bvFTD, while often remaining stable or improving in PPD. Changes in eating behavior and inappropriate social conduct, and emotion recognition, socioemotional sensitivity, and theory‐of‐mind impairments were more severe in bvFTD than in PPD. Although differential diagnosis can be challenging, studying the profile and progression of neuropsychiatric, behavioral, and social cognitive symptoms in bvFTD and PDD offers valuable diagnostic clues. Implementing structured tools and targeted assessments may improve differential diagnosis, ultimately guiding more appropriate treatment strategies.
Dijk et al. (2026) studied this question.