Delirium classification

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Vishal Khurana, M.B.B.S., M.D. [2] ; Pratik Bahekar, MBBS [3]

Types of Delirium

DSM V specifies delirium by various virtues,

Substance intoxication delirium: diagnosis of substance intoxication delirium is made rather than substance intoxication, when the symptoms in Criteria A and C predominate and are severe enough to require clinical attention.

Substance withdrawal delirium: diagnosis of substance withdrawal delirium is made rather than substance withdrawal, when the symptoms in Criteria A and C predominate and are severe enough to require clinical attention

Also,

Acute: Duration is restricted to a few hours to says

Persistent: when delirium lasts for weeks or months.

And,

Hyperactive: An increased psychomotor activity which may cooccue with incresed mood lability, agitation, and/or non cooperative attitude towards medical treatment.

Hypoactive: A hypoactive level of psychomotor activity which may exist along with increased sluggishness, lethargy or stupour.

Mixed level of activity: A normal level of psychomotor activity, individuals with rapidly fluctuating activity are also included in this category.<refname="www.dsm5.org">"http://www.dsm5.org/Pages/Default.aspx". </ref>

Some authours have described fourth type of delirium, called as Subsyndromal delirium (an incomplete form of delirium)

Phenomenological findings of different motoric subtypes of delirium reveal that purely hypoactive (somnolent) or hyperactive (agitated) patients appear to bemonority of cases, with more than 50% of patients experiencing a mixed profile during the course of their illness.