Psychiatric Approach to Delirium (opens in new tab)

Delirium is an acute change in a person's sensorium (the perception of one's environment or understanding of one's situation). It can include confusion about their orientation, cognition or mental thinking. With hyperactive delirium, a patient can become aggressive, violent and agitated with those around them. A patient experiencing delirium can have hallucinations and hear things, they can become paranoid, and they are overall confused. A family or non-psychiatric medical staff might be conc...