Definition
In common usage, delirium is often used to refer to drowsiness, disorientation, and hallucination. In broader medical terminology, however, a number of other symptoms, including a sudden inability to focus attention, and even (occasionally) sleeplessness and severe agitation and irritability, also define "delirium," and hallucination, drowsiness, and disorientation are not required.
There are several medical definitions of delirium (including those in the DSM-IV and ICD-10). However, all include some core features.
The core features are:
- Disturbance of consciousness (that is, reduced clarity of awareness of the environment, with reduced ability to focus, sustain, or shift attention)
- Change in cognition (e.g., problem-solving impairment or memory impairment) or a perceptual disturbance
- Onset of hours to days, and tendency to fluctuate.
- Behaviour may be either overactive or underactive, sleep is often disturbed.
- Thinking is slow and muddled but the content is often complex.
Common features also tend to include:
- Intrusive abnormalities of awareness and affect, such as hallucinations or inappropriate emotional states.
Read more about this topic: Delirium
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