What is delirium?

Defining delirium

What is delirium?

Delirium is a neuropsychiatric condition resulting in acute problems with attention, arousal and cognition for which there is normally an underlying cause.

It is a sudden confused state that happens when a person becomes physically unwell. It often starts quickly over hours or days. This can be frightening for the person and for family and carers. Delirium can often last for weeks, but sometimes the person can take months to recover.

When health workers talk about someone with delirium being confused they mean they’re not fully aware of reality. This confusion is different to how we use it in a day to day conversation. It can include a person not knowing the time of day, where they are or what is going on around them. The person can also have strange ideas, almost like a dream, except they appear to be awake.

The word delirium takes its origin from Latin from the words ‘de’ which means ‘away’ and ‘lira’. which means ‘furrow, away from track’. 

Types of delirium

There are three different types of delirium:

• Hypoactive delirium. When the person is withdrawn.
• Hyperactive delirium. When the person is more agitated.
• Mixed delirium. When the person swings between the two extremes of hyper and hypoactive delirium.