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Delirium (formerly acute confusional state, an ambiguous term that is now discouraged) [1] is a specific state of acute confusion attributable to the direct physiological consequence of a medical condition, effects of a psychoactive substance, or multiple causes, which usually develops over the course of hours to days.
The oneiroid state is a hallmark of this syndrome, defined by an altered state of consciousness where individuals experience profound confusion and disorientation regarding time and place. Patients may be entirely immersed in their hallucinatory experiences, often showing little to no engagement with external reality.
Confusional arousals are accompanied by mental confusion and disorientation, relative lack of response to environmental stimuli, and difficulty of awakening the subject. [3] [4] [5] Vocalisation accompanied with coherent speech is common. [3] Patients may appear upset, and some of them become aggressive or agitated. [4]
This can cause complications if patients are confined to a hospital and may lead to agitation, distress and anxiety. [10] Many patients report feeling as though they were being "held prisoner" and being prevented from carrying on with their daily lives. [10] Other symptoms include agitation, confusion, disorientation, and restlessness. [11]
Disorientation has a variety of causes, physiological and mental in nature. Physiological disorientation is frequently caused by an underlying or acute condition. Disease or injury that impairs the delivery of essential nutrients such as glucose, oxygen, fluids, or electrolytes can impair homeostasis, and therefore neurological function causing ...
The Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) is a diagnostic tool developed to allow physicians and nurses to identify delirium in the healthcare setting. [1] It was designed to be brief (less than 5 minutes to perform) and based on criteria from the third edition-revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III-R) .
In severe hypoxia, or hypoxia of very rapid onset, ataxia, confusion, disorientation, hallucinations, behavioral change, severe headaches, reduced level of consciousness, papilloedema, breathlessness, [17] pallor, [20] tachycardia, and pulmonary hypertension eventually leading to the late signs cyanosis, slow heart rate, cor pulmonale, and low ...
Episodes of this impairment usually consist of confusion, disorientation, delusions and visual hallucinations, increased aggressiveness, rage, agitation and violence. Chronic alcoholics may also have alcoholic hallucinosis, wherein the cessation of prolonged drinking may trigger auditory hallucinations.