n recent related work at the University, a study of catastrophic reactions among persons with dementia revealed that mid-stage dementia may be the phase of the disease that is most likely to produce acute episodes of agitation and emotional distress. This finding suggested to the researchers that these reactions may be due to the fact that people in this middle stage may still have some awareness of their cognitive losses, but are less able to compensate for them. Consequently, this results in a sense of sorrow, anger and frustration that may be manifested in the form of these severe emotionally agitated states.