complications
Delirium may last only a few hours or up to several weeks or months. If problems associated with delirium are addressed, recovery time is often shorter.
The degree of recovery depends to some extent on the state of health and mental state before the onset of delirium. For example, people with dementia may experience significant overall decline in memory and thinking skills. People in better health are more likely to make a full recovery.
People with other serious, chronic or terminal illnesses may not regain the level of thinking or functioning skills they had before the onset of delirium. Delirium in seriously ill people is also likely to result in:
- General decline in health
- Poor recovery after surgery
- Need for institutional assistance
- Increased risk of death
causes
Delium occurs when normal transmission and reception of signals in the brain are impaired. This disorder is most likely caused by a combination of factors that make the brain vulnerable and cause disruptions in brain function.
Delirium may have one cause or more than one cause, such as a combination of a medical condition and drug toxicity. Sometimes no cause can be identified. Possible reasons:
- Certain medications or drug toxicity
- Alcohol or drug intoxication or withdrawal
- Medical condition such as stroke, heart attack, lung or liver disease, or injury from a fall
- Metabolic imbalances, such as low sodium or low calcium levels
- Severe, chronic or terminal illness
- Fever and acute infection, especially in children
- Urinary tract infection, pneumonia, or flu, especially in older adults
- Exposure to a toxin such as carbon monoxide, cyanide, or other poisons
- Malnutrition or dehydration
- Sleep deprivation or severe emotional distress
- pain
- Surgery or other medical procedures that involve anesthesia
Several drugs or combinations of drugs can cause delirium, including some types:
- Medications
- Sleep treatment
- Medicines for mood disorders such as anxiety and depression
- Allergy medications (antihistamines)
- Asthma medications
- Steroid medicines called corticosteroids
- Parkinson's drugs
- Medicines to treat seizures or seizures
Delirium of love's charm
Psychological addiction is a sand castle...
I write a lot about different addictions. And among them, the easiest is considered psychological. It does not harm a person and does not destroy his personality as clearly as alcoholism or drug addiction.
But many people suffer from this type of addiction. And it brings severe mental pain.
Let's figure out what it is?
How my patients describe this condition:
"I can't live without him"
“I feel bad without this person, I’m unhappy”
"and there is no meaning in life"
“I feel bad, but I endure because I love” and so on.
The point is that we cannot imagine our life without a particular person.
This person is the only one in the whole world. This will never happen again. We, our state and mood completely depend on him, on his attitude, presence or absence, approval or criticism.
But, paradoxically, love addiction or scientifically: “delirium of love charm” is a way of adapting to life. She saves us from something worse.
There is always hope in psychological addiction. The hope that the desired object will return, will be nearby, and everything will be fine.
Hope helps you survive the horror of inner loneliness and tolerate clearly toxic relationships.
In psychological dependence, a partner is an object (not a person): it’s like a glass of wine or a dose of cocaine, it’s a delicious bun or a Prophet. This is anything but a person.
The roots of this addiction are in very early childhood. This is the relationship with the mother who is breastfeeding the baby.
But, in real life, a partner - an adult - is not ready to fulfill the role of a “nursing breast”. This is where disappointment and, of course, resentment sets in.
Emotional swings begin. We either reject our partner, or get closer to him, trying to relieve internal tension and discomfort with the help of, not a real person, but our own, idealized image of “the one,” our fantasy.
At the same time, understand and accept that no one is able to get rid of inner pain, fill this bottomless emptiness in the soul... this is unbearable.
The truth is that only we ourselves can free ourselves and make ourselves happy.
What to do?
A psychologically dependent person cannot, does not know how, does not know and does not want to rely on himself.
The experience of loneliness fills him with horror. He pushes him to merge with others and dissolve in them.
The first step is to look for support within yourself.
To do this, you need to clearly define your boundaries. Separate yourself from others.
This is my desire, and this is not.
This is my need.
Attempts to merge with another “beloved”, at the cost of losing one’s self, contribute to the fact that a dependent person, driven by his fears, is ready to endure any bullying, violence, humiliation, neglect, devaluation, and so on. If only the partner was happy and nearby.
Ask yourself questions:
“How do I feel when I am rejected or humiliated?”
“Am I comfortable waiting a long time for his call (arrival, letter)?”
“What emotions do I have when my partner deceives me and manipulates me?”
“How safe do I feel in this relationship?”
“How valuable do I feel to my partner on a scale of 10?”
In dependent relationships, people do not realize or ignore the real experiences that they experience in relationships.
The fear of loneliness and rejection is so great that one becomes anesthetized to one’s real feelings. They are rejected. And if at the same time, irritation, disgust, resentment, and anger also appear. Then, a feeling of guilt may arise. Own inferiority. Shame at last
Destroy sand castles.
People who tend to dissolve others are great masters at building “castles in the air.” At the same time, the experience of the past and present is completely ignored.
They create beautiful fantasies of their bright future. And they live in the hope that a little more and their partner will change and love them, but they just need to do this and that... For example, wait a little more, be patient a little, be affectionate...
Investments in dependent relationships are increasing, but the returns are decreasing. Life is what is happening to you right now. There will never be tomorrow. And you need to look for support only in the present.
Try to stop contacting the addict for a while. Learn to live independently. Yes, it's scary at first. But not fatal. You are not in danger. You are not a baby and are able to survive in this world without a “mother”. But, of course, you have to study and it’s worth it.
Look for support or a supportive environment everywhere
For starters, with other devoted and loving people. The belief that you don't deserve true love is completely irrational.
Start showing attention and love yourself. Learn to accept reciprocal feelings without anxiety and fear.
Lean on others, allow them to sympathize with you.
Even if at first it will be difficult or unusual to do, over time it will become the norm.
Let, for starters, these others be your relatives, friends, acquaintances.
Get rid of projections
Your perfect ideal partner is not a real person. And the feelings that you attribute to him are only your feelings.
Rephrase your words:
“Only with him do I feel truly loved.
Only with him I experience a feeling of security, tenderness and care.”
You are the one who can be tender and caring. You can protect and love deeply.
You are the one who trusts and accepts, calms and lulls. And you are able to give this to people.
Realize these qualities of yours, accept them, and bring them back from yourself.
Start giving them to those who can truly appreciate them.
And remember, the greatest harm you can do to yourself is to reject and lose yourself!
Delirium of invention and delirium of persecution
A patient with delusions of invention does not set himself a problematic task, does not look for arguments to prove his own theorem or discovery, regardless of whether he has patents or is talking about a completely ridiculous “discovery”, such as feeding sheep on city lawns in order to obtain meat for city residents (many years ago a commission of the CPSU Central Committee came to check the complaint of one of our patients who proposed this way of solving the country’s food problem). Unlike the geniuses of world philosophy and many millions of ordinary people, who leave some degree of doubt regarding any knowledge and truths they have acquired, our inventor initially, a priori claims and believes that he has obtained the apodictic truth, that it is absolutely reliable, that it exists an axiom, and it is not subject to either proof or discussion. He showed those patents that he took out from under the mattress not to himself, but to us: “Get rid of yourself, you wanted to make sure, read, but even without patents it’s clear to me that I’m right!” It is precisely by his, in his opinion, divine absolutization of truth that he differs from us. It is precisely by taking upon himself the fundamentally impossible mission of the bearer of apodictic truth, and not in connection with the content of this truth, that he is a resident of other existence. The delirium of invention, despite the impressiveness of this name, is by no means safe.
There is a known case in our country when a patient suffering from this type of delirium cut off the head of an academician and placed it on the academician’s desk, because he, you see, decided to prove to him, the bearer of absolute truth, the absurdity of his discovery.
Perhaps the most common type of delusion is persecutory delusion . It can be interpretive, acute sensory, hallucinatory (i.e., arising from hallucinations or pseudohallucinations and accurately reflecting the perceptual disturbances experienced). The content of delusions of persecution is very diverse. In his opinion, the patient can be persecuted by bandits, the mafia, the KGB and FSB, the CIA, his wife’s lovers, work colleagues, neighbors in the staircase or in the garden. It doesn’t matter who is “pursuing” the patient, it is important that the main experience during delusions of persecution is first fear and anxiety for one’s life, the life of loved ones, and then, as confidence increases, as one’s delusional knowledge is axiomatized, the persecuted person degenerates into a pursuer .
Rave
Related:
- Nonsense and its content. Indirect signs of delirium
- Delusional ideas
- Associative (symbolic) delusion
- Rave. Intuitive and other types
- Rave. Misdiagnosis of delirium
Next:
- Conformal delirium
- Delusions of physical influence and delusions of mental influence
- Delusions of persecution and delusions of interpretation
Previous:
- Capgras syndrome. Delirium of jealousy
- Acute sensual delirium
- Super valuable ideas, examples
- < Back
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Copying and support
If you are a relative or carer of someone at risk of or recovering from delirium, you can take steps to help improve the person's health, prevent recurrence and manage responsibilities.
Promote good sleep habits
To promote good sleep habits:
- Provide a calm, tranquil environment
- Keep interior lighting appropriate for the time of day
- Planning uninterrupted periods of sleep at night
- Help the person maintain a regular daily schedule
- Encourage self-care and activity throughout the day
Promoting calm and orientation
To help a person stay calm and well oriented:
- Provide a clock and calendar and refer to it regularly throughout the day
- Communicate simply about any changes in activities, such as lunch time or bed time
- Keep familiar and favorite objects and photos around, but avoid cluttered environments
- Approach the person calmly
- Identify yourself or other people regularly
- Avoid Arguments
- Use comfort measures such as reassuring touch when needed
- Minimize noise levels and other distractions
- Provide and maintain glasses and hearing aids
Prevent complicating problems
Help prevent medical problems:
- Providing the person with the appropriate medication on a regular schedule
- Ensuring plenty of fluids and a healthy diet
- Encouraging regular physical activity
- Receiving surgical treatment for potential problems such as infections or metabolic imbalances
Caregiver care
Providing regular care for someone with delusions can be scary and exhausting. Take care of yourself.
- Consider joining a support group for caregivers.
- More details about the condition.
- Ask for educational materials or other resources from your health care provider, nonprofit organizations, public health agencies, or government agencies.
- Share with family and friends who know the person to get a break.
Examples of organizations that can provide useful information include the Caregiver Action Network and the National Institute on Aging.
Risk factors
Any condition that results in a hospital stay, especially in intensive care or after surgery, increases the risk of delirium, as well as being a nursing home resident. Prelestness is more common in older people.
Examples of other conditions that increase the risk of delirium include:
- Brain disorders such as dementia, stroke or Parkinson's disease
- Previous episodes of nonsense
- Visual or hearing impairment
- Having multiple medical problems
Returned from the afterlife.
The consequences of clinical death bring phenomenal transformations of consciousness, which are even less understandable than the near-death experience itself. The consequences themselves have not been widely studied and have not been thoroughly examined by scientists, but rather refer to some miracles in the form of revealing previously “dormant” abilities of the body.
Meanwhile, the consequences for people who have experienced a visit to the afterlife are of interest. Not everyone who experiences clinical death has similar aftereffects; one might say that everyone with such an experience acquires a unique set of skills. Not for everyone, of course, but for some people, the brain undergoes a significant increase in activity - everything looks as if some kind of “upgrade” had occurred while in the afterlife.
Some people who survive their death return to life with traits completely foreign to them before. People seem to receive supernatural gifts, such as increased cognition and the ability to develop unconventional sensory abilities. It is still unclear how this was formed, but in theory, it could be knowledge and skills that entered consciousness at a new level of life (what we call the world of the dead), stored and processed by the brain for practical life.
Some acquired effects do not have a useful outlet for life “here”, for example, dangerously increased chemical sensitivity, you must admit, this is very difficult to live with. But the consequences affect many areas of life, stretching from cognitive-physiological to social and psychological.
Naturally, all the consequences of near-death experiences are interesting, but the cognitive and physiological aspects, which are compelling and demonstrable, have not been carefully studied and require more observation, the researchers say.
prevention
The most successful approach to preventing delirium is to target the risk factors that may trigger the episode. Hospital environments present a particular challenge—frequent room changes, invasive procedures, loud noises, poor lighting, and lack of natural light and sleep can worsen confusion.
Evidence indicates that certain strategies—promoting good sleep habits, helping a person stay calm and well-oriented, and helping to prevent medical problems or other complications—can help prevent or reduce the severity of delirium.
A doctor can diagnose delirium based on a medical history, tests to evaluate mental status, and identify possible contributing factors. The exam may include:
- Mental status assessment. The doctor begins by assessing awareness, attention, and thinking. This may be done informally through conversation or through tests or screenings that assess mental status, confusion, perception and memory. Additional information from family members or caregivers may be helpful.
- Physical and neurological examinations. The doctor performs a physical examination to check for health problems or disease. A neurological exam—testing vision, balance, coordination and reflexes—can help determine whether a stroke or other neurological disease is causing delirium.
- Other tests. The doctor may order blood, urine, and other diagnostic tests. Brain imaging testing may be used when a diagnosis cannot be made with other available information.
treatment
The first goal of treating delirium is to address any underlying causes or triggers—for example, stopping use of a particular medication, correcting a metabolic disorder, or treating an infection. Treatment then focuses on creating a better environment for the body to heal and the brain to calm.
Maintenance therapy
Supportive care is aimed at preventing complications:
- Respiratory protection
- Providing fluids and nutrition
- Assistance in movement
- Pain treatment
- Elimination of incontinence
- Avoid using physical restraints and bladder tubes
- Avoid changes in environment and caregivers whenever possible
- Encouraging the participation of family members or people you know
medications
If you are a family member or caregiver of someone experiencing delirium, talk to your doctor about avoiding or minimizing the use of drugs that may cause delirium. Some medications may be needed to control the pain that causes delirium.
Other types of medications may help calm a person who has severe agitation or confusion, or who misinterprets the environment in a way that leads to severe paranoia, fear, or hallucinations. These medications may be needed for certain behaviors:
- Preventing medical examination or treatment from being performed
- Beware of a person or endanger the safety of others
- Do not reduce treatment with an illness
These medications are usually reduced in dosage or stopped when the problem resolves.
A scientific view of near-death experiences.
What can the scientific community explain about clinical death? Are dying visions real, or are they the result of hyperventilation and could be a byproduct of anesthesia? What can be said here is that science continues to closely study the issue of near-death phenomena, even considering issues of the parapsychological or mental component, albeit with a healthy dose of skepticism.
According to the current way of scientific thinking, near-death visions can be called a “delusion”, which is caused by hypoxia (lack of oxygen) in the brain and the influence of medicinal chemistry, leading to hallucinations that we perceive as life after death, visiting the place where dead people live.
According to experts, the brain shuts down within 20 to 30 seconds after the heart stops beating, and once this happens, there is no possibility for thought to be active. From here comes the statement that there is no basis for accepting the version with near-death (near-death) visions in a state of clinical death - the brain has fallen asleep.
However, despite the skepticism expressed by science, more and more the idea of life after death based on near-death experiences is coming forward. No question, near-death experiences have already captured the attention of the public. But it turns out that even scientists are interested in people with the practice of “life after death” - one of the important aspects of this experience, and perhaps the most significant, is the consequences of pre-death practice.
