PSYC 235 Chapter Notes - Chapter 15: Haloperidol, Agnosia
Document Summary
Delirium impaired consciousness and cognition for periods of several hours confused, disoriented, out of touch with surroundings, can"t focus, extreme inattention, impairments in memory and language symptoms appear within a few hours (not gradual), but also subside relatively quickly (a few hours to a day: most recover fully, but some continue on and off. Many medical conditions impairing brain function linked to delirium: withdrawal from substances, infections, intoxication, brain/head trauma, improper use of medication subtypes: due to general medical condition: brought on by medical condition, changes in cognitive abilities occurring over short period, disturbance of consciousness, substance induced, due to multiple etiologies, not other specified. Treatment: rapid treatment is key and results in better long term outcomes, psychological intervention should be the first line of treatment, acute delirium, delirium brought on by withdrawal, or unknown cause delirium is treated with antipsychotic medications (haloperidol), helping to calm the individual, delirium due to medical conditions treated by treating the medical condition.
