Medical correlates of agitation in nursing home residents.

This paper examines the relationship between agitation and medical and psychiatric diagnoses. Agitation marked by aggressive behaviors (e.g., hit, kick) was related to dementia and impairments in activities of daily living. Physically nonaggressive behaviors (e.g., pacing, disrobing inappropriately) correlated with cognitive impairment, fewer medical diagnoses, and absence of a hearing loss. Verbally agitated behaviors (e.g., constant complaints) were manifested by residents with more physical diagnoses, mental disease (other than schizophrenia and affective disorders), more reported pain, and higher cognitive functioning than the population as a whole.