title: Phenomenology of delirium. Assessment of 100 adult cases using standardised measures.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Delirium phenomenology is understudied.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relationship between cognitive and non-cognitive delirium symptoms and test the primacy of inattention in delirium.
  
  
  METHODS
  People with delirium (n=100) were assessed using the Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 (DRS-R98) and Cognitive Test for Delirium (CTD).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sleep-wake cycle abnormalities and inattention were most frequent, while disorientation was the least frequent cognitive deficit. Patients with psychosis had either perceptual disturbances or delusions but not both. Neither delusions nor hallucinations were associated with cognitive impairments. Inattention was associated with severity of other cognitive disturbances but not with non-cognitive items. CTD comprehension correlated most closely with non-cognitive features of delirium.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Delirium phenomenology is consistent with broad dysfunction of higher cortical centres, characterised in particular by inattention and sleep-wake cycle disturbance. Attention and comprehension together are the cognitive items that best account for the syndrome of delirium. Psychosis in delirium differs from that in functional psychoses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Adult Psychiatry, Midwestern Regional Hospital, and Statistical Consulting Unit, University of Limerick, Ireland. meaghermob@eircom.net
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Meagher
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moran
authors.forename: Bangaru
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Raju
authors.forename: Dympna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gibbons
authors.forename: Sinead
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Donnelly
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Saunders
authors.forename: Paula T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Trzepacz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003693:Delirium / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*