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Healthinmind/Mental Health Disorders/Cognitive Disorders Delirium involves disorientation and memory loss, along with distorted consciousness and cognitive deficits. The victim may not know what time it is, or where she or he is, or be able to speak coherently. Short-term memory loss is almost always noted. The patient is usually agitated, with the agitation worse at night; if in the hospital, the patient may fight, break things or tear out intravenous tubes, and have to be restrained. The onset of delirium is typically fairly sudden, taking a few hours to a few days, and delirium rarely lasts for more than a month; unfortunately, one reason for this is that the patient may die. Especially for this reason, the occurrence of delirium is a clear medical emergency calling for prompt treatment. One cause of delirium is substance intoxication via overdoses of drugs or exposure to toxins, or withdrawal from drugs. Another is various medical conditions, brain trauma caused by an accident or stroke, for example. The type of delirium is determined by what caused it; for example, two types are substance intoxication delirium and delirium caused by a medical condition. If intoxication or treatable medical problems are detected and treated, the delirium is probably reversible. If treatment is not possible, permanent brain damage is either present or likely to develop, and the delirium may progress to dementia. Delirium can be subcategorized into one of the following depending on the causes:
From substance intoxication Last updated 12/19/03
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