Delirium in the terminally ill Book Section
| Authors: | Manschreck, C.; Alici, Y.; Breitbart, W. |
| Editors: | Chochinov, H.; Breitbart, W. |
| Article/Chapter Title: | Delirium in the terminally ill |
| Abstract: | Delirium is a common and often serious neuropsychiatric complication in the management terminally ill patients, characterized by abrupt onset of disturbance in arousal, attention, cognition, and perception that fluctuates over the course of the day. The study of the pathophysiology of delirium is vital to the understanding of the phenomenology, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of delirium. The clinical features of delirium are numerous and include a variety of neuropsychiatric symptoms. When assessing etiologies of delirium, an important challenge is the differentiation of delirium as either a reversible complication or an integral element of the dying process in terminally ill patients. Treatment of the symptoms of delirium should be initiated before or concurrent with a diagnostic assessment of the etiologies to minimize distress to patients, staff, and family members. In delirium superimposed on a premorbid dementia, differential diagnosis becomes even more challenging. Treatment with antipsychotic agents has been the norm in the everyday management of delirium across settings and different patient populations for more than two decades. Nonpharmacologic interventions and supportive measures alone are often not effective in controlling the symptoms of delirium in terminal illness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) |
| Keywords: | pathophysiology; delirium; differential diagnosis; terminally ill patients; antipsychotic agents; prognosis; clinical features; diagnostic assessment; nonpharmacologic interventions; premorbid dementia |
| Book Title: | Handbook of Psychiatry in Palliative Medicine: Psychosocial Care of the Terminally Ill. 3rd ed |
| ISBN: | 9780197583838 |
| Publisher: | Oxford University Press |
| Publication Place: | New York, NY |
| Date Published: | 2023-01-01 |
| Start Page: | 77 |
| End Page: | 98 |
| Language: | English |
| ACCESSION: | 2023-22407-006 |
| PROVIDER: | Ovid Technologies |
| PROVIDER: | psycinfo |
| DOI: | 10.1093/med/9780197583838.003.0006 |
| DOI/URL: | |
| Notes: | Book Chapter: 6, located in "Part II - Psychiatric Complications of Terminal Illness" -- Source: APA PsycInfo |
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