DELIRIUM TERMINOLOGY
Delirium An acute change in mental status that may fluctuate and has underlying physiological causes; not dementia. It may be hyperactive (presence) or hypoactive (absence) of psychomotor agitation, perceptual disturbances and/or changes in level of consciousness. It is often mixed when both subtypes are present currently. Associated Behaviors, Symptoms, Signs Acute onset Rapid onset of symptoms over minutes to days, even if it began or occurred in the past Fluctuation or waxing/weaning Intensity changes rapidly, symptoms may come and go Agitation On intentional, excessive, and purposeless cognitive and/or motor activity Hallucination Perception of an object or event that does not exist. May be visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, or tactile
Altered level of consciousness
Inattention Inability to focus for direct thinking
Clinically differentiated degrees of awareness and alertness, i.e., hypervigilant, alert, lethargic, cloudy, stuporous, or comatose
Confusion Not oriented to person, place, time, or situation
Irritable Prone to excessive impatience, annoyance or anger to get needs met
Delusion A fixed or false belief or wrong judgment that opposing evidence does not change; maybe paranoid, grandiose, somatic, or persecutory Disinhibition Unable to control an immediate impulsive response to a situation
Labile affect Rapidly changing and out of context mood symptoms
Psychosis Loss of contact with reality
Disorganized thinking
Restlessness See ‘agitation’ about left
Thoughts are confusing, vague, and/or do not logically flow; they are loosely or not connected
Irwin et al. 2013. PMID: 23480299. Used with Permission.
24 NB: These Reference Cards do not replace careful clinical judgment specific to each patient / family situation. PCIC: Palliative Care Interdisciplinary Curriculum is a collaborative effort of OhioHealth, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, and Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, USA, and other contributors. Permission to reproduce any or all of these PCIC Reference Cards is granted for non-commercial educational purposes only, provided that the attribution statement and copyright are displayed. To reproduce for all other purposes, contact Frank D. Ferris at info@pallmed.us. Copyright © Frank D Ferris 2013-2024. All rights reserved. V14.1, 2024
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