title: Differentiating the three D's: delirium, dementia, and depression.
abstract: Confusion often presents a challenge to nurses caring for older adults. Three common states that result in confusion are delirium, dementia, and depression. The three conditions are compared and contrasted in this article.
authors.affiliation: Purdue University, School of Nursing, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Edwards
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003693:Delirium / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D011581:Psychological Tests