Mild behavioral impairment: Ethical, methodological and clinical reflections

Abstract

The concept of "mild behavioral impairment" (MBI) has been recently introduced and tentatively operationalized. The rationale supporting the need of such novel construct is that neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), even when they do not configure major psychiatric disorders, may still constitute early manifestations of neurodegenerative diseases, potentially anticipating the onset of dementia. The conception of MBI as a potential pre-dementia phenotype is surely of interest because posing special attention to neuropsychiatric symptoms and their negative implications. Nevertheless, several issues should be carefully considered in the definition of MBI and are discussed in the present Commentary.

Keywords: Dementia; Neuropsychiatric symptoms; Overdiagnosis; Pre-dementia conditions.