According to Foundations of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, delirium is defined as “an acute, usually reversible alteration in consciousness, typically accompanied by disturbances in thinking, memory, attention, and perception”. Age, age-related impaired sensory levels, malnutrition, depression, depressed functional status, and a lower level of education are all thought to be predisposing factors for delirium. Specific symptoms of delirium are a sudden disorientation to time and/or place accompanied by poor memory recall, anxiety, agitation and hallucinations. Patients rarely forget who they are, but can’t recall the “here and now”, so quite often strong feelings of fear, panic, and anger can occur. (Halter, 2014)
Delirium is considered a medical emergency and early detection is a key to prevention of potential consequences. Patients often present with impaired concentration and distractibility in simple tests conducted to interpret amounts of disruption present. Tests administered as part of a Mini Mental Examination (MME) include spelling the word “world” backwards, counting down from 20 to 1, counting down by 7s from 100, saying the months of the year backwards, etc. (Burns, et al., 2003). Urine and blood tests should also be considered
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It is estimated that in the United States, consequences of delirium has increased health costs around $2500 per patient, totaling approximately $6.9 billion per year (Wass, et al., 2008). These figures are in fact low as they don’t take into consideration additional costs needed for long-term residential care, rehabilitation and/or home health services needed upon discharge. These services are needed because it is estimated that only around half of these patients are fully recovered by the time they leave the hospital (Wass, et al.,
Zeigler, Donald. "The neurocognitive effects of alcohol on adolescents and college students." Preventive Medicine 40. (2004): 23 – 32. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. .
Rapid, loud talking and bursts of laughter are in the early stages of intoxication and sleepy or stuporous is in the later stages. Forgetfulness in conversation, inflammation in the whites of the eyes and the pupils unlikely to be dilated are in the la
The characteristic symptoms start between the age of 18 and 30. Symptoms include hallucinations and/or delusions. Hallucinations can have various modes. Auditory hallucinations are the most common. These may involve hearing a voice or voices talking to each other and/or to the patient. Visual hallucinations are less common and involve the patient believing they see an object that is not present. Tactile hallucinations are the least common and involve the patient thinking that someone or something is touching them (Nienhuis).
“Beyond Hangovers: Understanding Alcohol's Impact Your Health.” Bethesda, MD: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2010. Print.
According to Wilson (2005), sleep deprivation can cause not only traffic accidents, but also medical conditions such as: obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabo...
Jane had not slept for 72 hours and had poor diet and was observed not to be drinking fluids. Jane has a diagnosis of Bipolar
Mood symptoms are common in persons with delusional disorder and often represent a proportionate emotional response to perceived delusional experiences. However, given that mood disorders are common in the general population, they may present as comorbid conditions, often predating delusional disorder. Mood symptoms of mood disorders contrary to mood symptoms of delusional disorder are prominent and meet criteria for a full mood episode (depressive, manic, or mixed). Delusions associated with mood disorders usually develop after the onset of mood symptoms and progress secondary to mood abnormalities. Mood symptoms of delusional disorder are generally mild and delusions usually exist in the absence of mood abnormalities. Delusions of schizophrenia are bizarre in nature, and thematically associated hallucinations are common. Additionally, a disorganized thought process, speech, or behavior is present. Negative symptoms and deterioration in function are prominent and Cognitive deficits are common.
These physiological changes result in withdrawal symptoms, including seizures, anxiety, toxic effects on nerve cells, and altered perception of alcohol’s effects. Any of those symptoms may increase the patient’s potential for relapse and vulnerability to brain damage. With a drinking pattern of repeated bingeing and abstaining, the imbalance occurring during withdrawal may intensify with each successive episode and may culminate in a state of persistent CNS hyperexcitability seen as a augmented withdrawal response.
Although delirium risk factors are well known and the condition may be preventable in many patients, this has not, for the most part, been translated into concrete action at the unit level. More research needs to be done on the pathophysiology of delirium to better understand the cause, effect and how to better treat it. It is important that delirium is detected, diagnosed, and treated early without delay to improve patient outcomes and reduce the complications and severity of any associated underlying illness.
Delusion and hallucination in their different forms are the major symptom of psychotic disorders. There is a growing evidence however that these symptoms are not exclusively pathological in nature. The evidences show that both delusion and hallucination occur in a variety of forms in the general population. This paper presents and analyzes the relationship between the above major psychotic symptoms with normal anomalous experiences that resembles these symptoms in the normal population.
It is normal for a drunk drivers to feel blurred and dizzy due to the chemical changes in the body. Driving when drunk is always a bad idea and it 's illegal. Alcohol effects the cerebrum in the human body, which helps one to make quick judgments for the quickly changing situations. The Cerebrum slows down when alcohol is consumed by an individual person. When the speed of cerebrum is reduced it affect person ability to see and listen. Studies have shown that it takes drivers a longer time to react to something when they are drunk than sober. Intoxicated drivers cannot respond to the immediate situation of sudden brakes. They take a longer time to make decisions than a sober
Two ideologies that exist in ethics and apply to decision-making are utilitarian and deontological viewpoints. Ethical theories provide a systematic approach to decision-making toward the applications of standard principles. “In utilitarian ethics, outcomes justify the means or ways to achieve it” (Mandal, Ponnambath, & Parija, 2016, p. 5). Decisions made considering utility are based benefitting the greatest number of people. In utilitarianism, outcomes determine the moral nature of interventions. Some people are to experience harm, but the overall outcome is good for most individuals. Applying utilitarianism personally or professionally seems relevant when considering its ideology maximizes happiness and minimizes suffering. Utilitarianism
The mental status exam investigates global and limbic brain functions, left and right parietal functionality and language. This is achieved through tests such as, level of consciousness, memory, and language assessment (Blumenfeld, 2010). Yanagawa and Miyawaki (2012) highlight the importance of obtaining reports from witnesses to assist with a mental status examination. They state that pre-hospital patients can deteriorate quickly into unconsciousness, limiting the ability for para...
Damage to the nervous system in alcoholics has been recognized for many years. Some of the possible neurological effects of alcoholism include: Development of diseases caused by vitamin B deficiencies. Impairment of overall mental functioning. Some of the ancient physicians recognized an impairment of overall mental functioning in those who drank excessively and recent brain cell studies suggest that an alcoholic literally kills off brain cells at a more rapid pace than normal. If one destroys brain cells rapidly enough and for a long enough period of time, eventually the "cell bank" of reserves will be depleted, and the subject will begin to show impaired mental functioning. This appears to be the sequence of events observed in the EEG tracings and clinical observations of alcoholics.
The chapter regarding the nursing process and standards of care for psychiatric mental health nursing provided the framework for nursing care and the psychiatric and mental health setting .It describes the six-step problem solving approach that facilitated nurses to care for their patients in a professional and productive way. Implementing these steps are vital to help facilitate a positive outcome. It explains the importance of culture, religion, family, community, and how they shape each individual views of mental illness. It is also describes the nursing process in psychiatric mental health nursing which are