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Back to FlashcardsPsychology / Psychotherapy: 86b - Delirium

Psychotherapy: 86b - Delirium

Psychology8 CardsCreated 7 months ago

This flashcard set details the diagnostic criteria for delirium, including its rapid onset, fluctuating course, and cognitive disturbances linked to a physiological cause. It also outlines how delirium disrupts sleep architecture—eliminating deep and REM sleep—and describes the long-term cognitive decline many patients experience, often comparable to mild TBI or early Alzheimer’s disease.

Report

What is required to diagnose delirium?

  • Disturbance in attention and awareness

  • Develops over a short period of time and fluctuates

  • Additional disturbance in cognition

    • Memory, languaguage, visuospatial, or perception

  • Evidence that the disrubance is caused by direct physiological consequences of another condition

    • Medical, substance, toxin, etc

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Key Terms

Term
Definition

What is required to diagnose delirium?

  • Disturbance in attention and awareness

  • Develops over a short period of time and fl...

How does delirium affect slee?

Disrupts architecture

No deep or REM sleep

What is the cognitive trajectory after delirium?

Ongoing cognitive impairments

  • Average is 1.5 SD below the population mean

    • Equivalant to mild TBI

  • ...

What 3 characteristics predispose a person to delirium?

  • Increased age

  • Cognitive impairment

  • Frailty

How will a patient with delirium present differently from a patient with dementia?

A delerious patient will have…

  • Faster onset of symptoms

  • Shorter duration of symptoms

  • Fluctuating symtom...

How do you treat delirium?

Address underlying cause

Haloperidol can be used for psychosis (avoid in pts with long ...

Related Flashcard Decks

TermDefinition

What is required to diagnose delirium?

  • Disturbance in attention and awareness

  • Develops over a short period of time and fluctuates

  • Additional disturbance in cognition

    • Memory, languaguage, visuospatial, or perception

  • Evidence that the disrubance is caused by direct physiological consequences of another condition

    • Medical, substance, toxin, etc

How does delirium affect slee?

Disrupts architecture

No deep or REM sleep

What is the cognitive trajectory after delirium?

Ongoing cognitive impairments

  • Average is 1.5 SD below the population mean

    • Equivalant to mild TBI

  • 26% are 2.0 SD below the population mean

    • Equivalent to mild Alzheimer’s Disease

What 3 characteristics predispose a person to delirium?

  • Increased age

  • Cognitive impairment

  • Frailty

How will a patient with delirium present differently from a patient with dementia?

A delerious patient will have…

  • Faster onset of symptoms

  • Shorter duration of symptoms

  • Fluctuating symtoms

    • vs. dementia will be stable

  • Reduced awareness and alertness

    • vs. dementia will be unchanged

  • More changes in speech

How do you treat delirium?

Address underlying cause

Haloperidol can be used for psychosis (avoid in pts with long QT)

Supportive treatment for symptoms of delirium

  • Fluids

  • Sleep/wake intervention

  • Orientation aids

  • No restraints!!

  • Ambulation and mobility

  • Cognitive stimulation

Which antipsychotic is used to treat delirium? In which patients should it be avoided?

Haloperidol

  • Avoid in pts with long QT syndrome

Which medications might be used for delirium prophylaxis?

Olanzapine and ramelteon

  • But these are still being studied