Delirium: Symptoms, Types and Treatments

Delirium: Symptoms, Types and Treatments

Delirium is an immediate change in the brain that leads to emotional disruption and mental confusion. It makes it strenuous to sleep,  remember,think, pay attention and more.

Delirium generally leads to limited awareness of the environment and confused thinking. The onset of delirium is generally rapid  usually occurs within hours or a few days.

One or more contributing factors of Delirium can often be traced, such as a alcohol or drug intoxication or withdrawal, chronic or severe  illness, medication metabolic unbalance (such as low sodium), infection and surgery.

Types of delirium:

Categorizatin  of  Delirium  is based on its severity,cause and characteristics:-

Delirium tremens: Delirium tremens is a severe type of the delirium experienced by individuals who are trying to stop drinking. Generally, they have been drinking huge amounts of alcohol for several years.

Hyperactive delirium: It is described by being uncooperative and  highly alert.

Hypoactive delirium:  Hypoactive delirium is more common. The individual having this type of Delirium may tend to become inattentive,  sleep more and disorganized with the every day tasks. The individual may miss appointments or meals.

Mixed delirium: Mixed delirium contain both hy hypoactive or hyperactive symptoms and signs. The individual can be quickly switch back and forth through hyperactive to hypoactive states.

Symptoms:

Symptoms and signs of delirium generally begin over a few hours to a few days. They usually fluctuate during the day and there might be periods of approximately no symptoms. Symptoms become to be severe during the night when it's  spread the darkness and things appears to be less familiar. Basic symptoms and signs are mentioned   below:

Limited awareness of the environment:

That can be result in:-

An inability to remain focused on the topic or to switch topics

Getting stuck to an idea inspite of the responding to     conversation or question.

Can be easily distracted by unimportant things

Can be withdrawn, with  or little response to no activity to the environment

Weak  skills of thinking (cognitive impairment):

This may result in:-

Weak memory, particularly of recent events

Disorientation — for example, who you are? Not knowing where you are?

Difficulty   recalling or  speaking  words

Nonsense or rambling speech

Trouble of understanding speech

Difficulty  writing and reading. 

Behavior changes:

These may include:-

Restlessness, agitation or combative behavior

Seeing things that don't exist (hallucinations)

Being quiet and withdrawn — especially in older adults

Calling out, moaning or making other sounds

Reversal of night-day sleep-wake cycle

Slowed movement or lethargy

Disturbed sleep habits

Emotional disturbances:

These may appear as:-

Irritability or anger

Anxiety, fear or paranoia

Depression

Rapid and unpredictable mood shifts

Irritability or anger

A sense of feeling elated (euphoria)

Apathy

Personality changes.

Diagnosis of Delirium:

Confusion assessment method

The doctor will notice the symptoms and examine to check if the individual may be speak, think and move normally.

Some health professionals use the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) to rule out or diagnose  delirium. This leads them to examine whether or not:

The individual behavior changes during the day, particularly if you’re hospitalized

The individual find it difficult to paying attention or responding others as they speak

The individual is rambling.

Tests and exams:

Several factors can create changes in the chchemistry of brain. The doctor will try to examine the cause of the delirium by running tests relevant to individual's  medical history or symptoms.

The following tests can be administered to examine the  imbalances:

head scans

blood chemistry test

thyroid tests

drug and alcohol tests

liver tests

urine tests

a chest X-ray.

Treatment:

The initial purpose of the f treatment of delirium is to address any underlying  triggers or causes. Like by addressing metabolic imbalances, stopping  the use of a particular medication, or treating an infection. The treatment then stressed upon  creating the best environment for calming the brain or healing the body.

The doctor may advised for some patients, that the patient has  to stop having some medications (like codeine or other drugs that depress your system) and stop drinking alcohol.

If the patient is depressed or  agitated, he can be given small doses of one of the mentioned medications:

sedatives to ease alcohol withdrawal

antidepressants to relieve depression

thiamine to help prevent confusion.

dopamine blockers to help with drug poisoning

Counseling:

If the individual is feeling disoriented, counseling can help to anchor the individual's  thoughts.

Counseling can also  be used as a treatment for individual whose delirium was caused on by alcohol use or a drug. In such cases, the treatment may help to stop the using the substances that lead to the delirium.

Counseling is applied to make the individual feels comfortable and provide a safe place to reveal his  feelings and   thoughts.