How is delirium diagnosed?

Thorough evaluation : Delirium is diagnosed by a doctor after careful evaluation of the patient, often with input of involved family members or caregivers. The doctor will evaluate the symptoms of disturbance of consciousness and cognition and consider the time course and presence of other factors such as substance intoxication, medication use, fever, and other general medical problems.

History and exam: Delirium is underdiagnosed especially in older adults. Family and friends can alert medical personell that there has been a drastic change in somone. There are fluctuations in attention as well as changes in sleep wake cycle and often severe confusion.

Clinically: We really do not need an eeg to diagnose delirium. In the 10, 000 or so patients i've treated for delirium, i used an eeg no more than 10 times, mostly looking for clues to potential delirium precipitants in atypical cases. We do have some rating scales as well, the cam and the drs-98-r which lead the pack.

Delirium: Delirium is a clinical diagnosis, usually made in the context of other underlying medical conditions. Mental status changes within hours to days from normal waking to confusion ; reduced awareness of the environment. Activity level can be agitated to stuporous, even progressing to coma if the cause is not found and addressed. Multiple assessment scales exist also: http://tinyurl.Com/nyh77jo.