Can anxiety cause delirium?

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asked Feb 18, 2022 in Mental Health by cinestalker (1,050 points)
Can anxiety cause delirium?

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answered Feb 24, 2022 by Gingervitis (38,920 points)
Anxiety and stress can cause and lead to delirium or an excited delirium.

There are times when the anxiety can become so severe that it causes jumbled thoughts, confusion, trouble concentrating, and more.

All of these symptoms are sometimes described as delirium.

The excited delirium is not medically proven or recognized by the World Health Organization, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Medical Association, and not listed as a medical condition in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or International Classification of Diseases.

Agitated or excited delirium is an acute confusional state marked by intense paranoia, hallucinations, and violence toward objects and people.

The most common causes seen today are toxicity from stimulant drugs, especially cocaine and methamphetamine, and psychiatric patients who stop taking their medication.

Excited delirium, also known as agitated delirium, is a controversial syndrome sometimes characterized as a potentially fatal state of extreme agitation and delirium.

The condition hyper delirium is a condition that is characterized by (motor) agitation, restlessness, and sometimes aggressiveness.

Hypoactive delirium is characterized by motor retardation, apathy, slowing of speech, and patients can appear to be sedated.

The start of delirium is usually rapid within hours or a few days.

Delirium can often be traced to one or more contributing factors, such as a severe or chronic illness, changes in metabolic balance (such as low sodium), medication, infection, surgery, or alcohol or drug intoxication or withdrawal.

The condition of hyper delirium is more common in older adults and people who are hospitalized.

If you notice a sudden shift in mental status in a loved one for example, they're confused, disoriented and distracted contact a healthcare provider.

Prompt treatment can help most people recover fully from delirium.

Hypoactive delirium is associated with poorer outcomes compared with mixed or hyperactive delirium,1 10 15 including increased mortality and admission to longer term care.

This may be because it presents or is diagnosed later.

The main pharmacological treatment is the administration of haloperidol, although other antipsychotics or benzodiazepines are also sometimes used.

Non‐pharmacological management can be divided into three types: nursing interventions aimed at reorientation of the patient, psychosocial management, and physical restraint.

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