Relationship of psychological processes during delirium to outcome

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
To determine which psychological processes during delirium might correlate with and predict postdeliurium psychological outcome, 34 burn patients who became delirious during hospitalization were prospectively studied. After the delirium resolved, 7 of the 25 survivors had severe psychological symptoms-either depression or posttraumatic stress disorders. During delirium, this outcome groups was clinically distinctive. They showed significantly more preoccupation with their trauma and injury, had greater anxiety and fear and differed in their use of defensive operations. These findings suggest modifying the standard approach to the delirious patient.

This publication has 12 references indexed in Scilit: