title: Distress due to delirium experience.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Very few studies have evaluated the level of distress due to the experience of delirium in patients who have recovered from delirium.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-three patients were rated on Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 at baseline and were again evaluated on Delirium Experience Questionnaire after recovery for level of distress due to the experience of delirium.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of patients was 45.58 (S.D. 19.06) years. Only 15 patients (28.3%) remembered themselves to be confused and rest had no recollection of the same. Those who could remember their experience had moderate (n = 4; 26.7%), severe (n = 6; 40.0%) and very severe (n = 5; 33.3%) level of distress. Of those who could not remember their delirium experience, most of them had moderate (n = 17; 44.7%) to severe (n = 10; 26.3%) distress. Those who remembered their experience in general described it as a state of fearfulness (n = 8), anxiety (n = 4) confusion and feeling strange (n = 7). Other experiences which were recollected were those of visual hallucinations and illusions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall experience of delirium is distressing for the patients. Most of the patients (those who remembered or who were not able to remember) experienced at least moderate level of distress.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh 160012, India. drsandeepg2002@yahoo.com
authors: Sandeep
authors: S
authors: Grover
authors: Ruchita
authors: R
authors: Shah
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003693:Delirium / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult