Delirium

:This article is about the mental state. See Delirium (Sandman) for the character. For the band, see Delerium.

Related Topics:
Delirium (Sandman) - Delerium

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Delirium is a medical term used to describe a mental state. Delirium is probably the single most common acute disorder affecting adults in general hospitals. It affects 10-20% of all adults in hospital, and 30-40% in older patients.

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There are several definitions (including those in the DSM-IV and ICD-10). However, all include some core features.

Related Topics:
DSM-IV - ICD-10

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The core features are:

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• disturbance of consciousness (that is, reduced clarity of awareness of the environment, with reduced ability to focus, sustain, or shift attention)
• change in cognition (eg. memory impairment) or a perceptual disturbance
• onset of hours to days, and tendency to fluctuate.

Common features include:

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• intrusive abnormalities of awareness and affect, such as hallucinations or innappropriate emotional states.

Delirium should be distinguished from psychosis, in which consciousness and cognition may not be impaired, and dementia which describes an acquired intellectual impairment usually resulting from a degenerative brain disease.

Related Topics:
Psychosis - Dementia

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Delirium may be caused by severe physical or mental illness. Fever, poisons (including toxic drug reactions), brain injury, surgery, severe lack of food or water, drug and severe alcohol withdrawal are all known to cause delirium.

Related Topics:
Mental illness - Fever - Poisons - Drug - Alcohol

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It is also referred to as 'acute confusional state' or 'acute brain syndrome'.

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Delirium: Impairment of consciousness ►