新明日报 © SPH Media Limited. Reproduced with permissionMs Phoebe Hoh, Assistant Nurse Clinician, Nursing Wards, JCH, explained that delirium is a temporary state of confusion which causes a person’s mind to be clouded, and makes it hard for him/her to pay attention and focus. The common causes of delirium can be due to infections, medications, the sudden withdrawal of drugs or alcohol, major surgery, dehydration, or progressing illnesses.
Delirium can also sometimes be mistaken for dementia or depression. She shared that delirium, dementia and depression are conditions that have some similar symptoms that could cause misconceptions among individuals. Delirium can occur abruptly (over a matter of hours or days), and the symptoms tend to fluctuate throughout the day and for varying periods. For dementia, the onset of when it occurs is slow and insidious with a progressive and irreversible deterioration. Depression consists of negative mood changes that can last from two weeks to years, but are reversible.
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