20:T44e,Diagnostic Criteria From DSM-IV,by the American Psychiatric Association, 358 pp, spiral-bound, $22.50, ISBN 0-89042-064-5, Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Press Inc, 1994. DSM-IV Sourcebook, vol 1, edited by Thomas A. Widiger, Allen J. Frances, Harold Alan Pincus, Michael B. First, Ruth Ross, and Wendy Davis, 768 pp, $112.50, ISBN 0-89042-065-3, Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Association, 1994. DSM-IV: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, was developed with a great deal of input from mental health professionals and professional organizations. In addition, there was a significant collaboration between the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the World Health Organization, as it developed the tenth revision of theInternational Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10). As a result, DSM-IV is a great improvement over the third edition(DSM-III)and the third edition, revised(DSM-III-R). The Task Force onDSM-IVand 13 work groups (each responsible for a section21:T44a,Agitation is a significant problem for elderly persons, their families, and their caregivers. This study describes the agitated behaviors of 408 nursing home residents. Nurses who were familiar with the residents used a 7-point scale to rate how often each resident manifested 29 agitated behaviors. Each resident was rated independently by three nurses, one from each of the three nursing shifts. Results showed that agitated behaviors occurred most often during the day shift (i.e., when residents were most active), and least often during the night shift. The most frequently exhibited agitated behaviors were general restlessness, pacing, repetitious sentences, requests for attention, complaining, negativism, and cursing. Most agitated behaviors correlated significantly across shifts, suggesting that such behaviors occur and reoccur throughout the 24-hour day. Factor analysis yielded three syndromes of agitation: aggressive behavior, physically nonaggressive behavior, and verbally agitated behavior. These results provide a foundation for further studies of agitation in elderly persons.

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