Delirium and Homeopathic Medicines

Delirium is also known as Disorder of Orientation, Disorder of Consciousness, acute confusional state, acute brain failure. It is a type of mental disorder in which the patient is disoriented for a particular time, and is unable to recognize a place or person (which is familiar to him) correctly.

Delirium Causes

Causes of this condition:

Physical illness– That condition which affects the functioning brain like-
Infectious illnesses like measles, mumps, rubella, tuberculosis, meningitis, encephalitis, dengue.
Condition like an abscess in the brain, brain hemorrhage, brain tumor.
Conditions like liver failure, respiratory failure.
Deficiency of Vitamins like B1, B2, B6, or B 12.
Conditions like hypoglycemia (low glucose), hyper-thyoridism, deficiency of electrolytes, severe anemia.
Addictions– Addictions of some particular things can lead to deliria like Alcohol, barbiturates, amphetamine, cocaine, hashish (cannabis), smack, and atropine.

Use of some drugs like Antidepressants hypnotics, cough related medicines, and suppressants of cough, use of chloroquine, drugs like anticholinergics like furosemide, digoxin, theophylline, cimetidine, prednisolone, captopril.)

Use of analgesics like morphine and codeine.
Use of antiarrhythmics (digitalis).
Use of antihistamines.
Use of antihypertensives.
Use of antimicrobials like penicillin, cephalosporins, and quinolones.
Use of antiparkinson drugs like anticholinergic and dopaminergic.
Use of steroids.

Some other causes:

Head injury, hypertension and epilepsy, high-grade fever.
Urine or chest infection
Having a high body temperature
Conditions like dehydration or low salt levels
Suddenly stopping drugs or alcohol
Constipation
Being in an unfamiliar place.
Delirium Risk Factors

Predisposing risk factors:

It is seen more in person who is more than 60 years of age.
More seen in males.
Seen in those individuals who take a lot of medicines.
Often seen after major surgery.

Children and elder people are more prone to delirium.

Seen approximately 40% of hospitalized elderly patients which is more than 65 years.
Seen in 50% of patients after hip fracture.
Seen in 30% of patients in surgical intensive care units.
Seen in 20% of patients on general medical wards.
Seen in 15% of patients on general surgical wards.

Delirium Symptoms

What kind of symptoms a person depends upon his personality and the condition which produces the symptoms. Symptoms usually develop acutely ranging from hours to days. This condition has reduced the ability to maintain attention. It usually starts with a fluctuating level of consciousness. The patient’s orientation to time and place (which is one’s very familiar) and person (familiar ones) is disturbed. The patient is unable to realize what is happening in the surrounding environment.

The attention of the patient is disturbed duet to which any object in the environment (like traffic, sound, person, shadow) attracts his attention easily.

It has an increased tendency to sleep.
The patient is emotionally unstable.
A patient has difficulty in a language like during the conversation, he has difficulty in word-finding. He is not able to utter proper words.
He has difficulty in speech like slurring of speech, mumbling, incoherent speech.
There is difficulty in memory. Short term memory for recent events is affected.
There is difficulty in copying a person and repeating the same.
Many kinds of illusions are faced by patients like misinterpreting objects or persons.
A patient who is suffering from high-grade fever misinterprets a syringe in the nurse’s hand like a knife.
Hallucinations are also experienced by patients. The patient may see or hears persons when none is around. He smells scents or foul smell when nothing is there. He experiences delusions. He feels incorrect suspiciousness. He fears without any cause.
The patient has changed in the mood.
He can have phobias of various kinds.
The patient has anxiety.
An important symptom of delirium is that patient’s thoughts, talk, and behavior are not understood.
A decrease in appetite and sleep are seen.
Sometimes excessive anger, excitement, or sadness with a desire to commit suicide can be seen.

Delirium Types

Hyperactive or hyper-alert
The patient is hyper active and uncooperative.
He may appear to be responding to internal stimuli.
These patients can easily be diagnosed as they are difficult to take care of.

Hypoactive or hypo alert:

The patient takes a short duration of sleep throughout the day.
He is unable to have attention when awakened.
He quickly falls back asleep.
He often misses meals, medicine, and appointments.
He does not ask for care or attention.
These are more difficult to diagnose as he himself does not want any attention.

Mixed:

It has a combination of both hypoactive and hyperactive varieties.
The most common types are hypoactive and mixed.

All these symptoms increase during the night.

Delirium Complications

Complications in this condition can be physical or mental.
Physical– As a patient is suffering from this condition, he is not able to look after his body due to which many physical illnesses and deficiencies can be found in the body of the patient.
Mental-One of the main symptoms of delirium is a tendency to commit suicide. Along with this, the patient can do homicide (the patient kills another person in delirium due to suspicion, delusion, or by accident.
The patient has abnormal behavior in social functions and at work. The patient will be considered as an anti-social element in society.
If the cause is removed at an early stage, this disorder is cured completely and there are no temporary or permanent complications.

Some facts regarding delirium

It is one of the common mental disorders and it is a comment among patients admitted in hospitals.
This condition is temporary. It is not a permanent disorder. 90-95 percent of patients recover completely.
This disorder can occur in every age group and sex.
This condition is not genetic and not go from one generation to another.

Steps to be followed in order to help a patient with delirium

Stay calm
Talk to them in short, simple sentences
Check that they have understood you- repeat things if necessary.
Try not to agree with any unusual or incorrect ideas, but tactfully disagree or change the subject.
Remind the person what is happening and how they are doing
Remind the patient of the time and date
Make sure that patient can see a clock or a calendar.
Make sure that someone the patient knows very well is with him.
If the patient is in hospital, bring in some familiar objects from home.
Help the patient to eat and drink.
Always have a light on at night so the patient can see where they are if they wake up.

Homeopathic Remedy for Delirium Treatment

Belladonna

This remedy is associated with the violent type of delirium. The patient has various attempts to run away from the place. He has a tendency to strike, bite, and spit upon people. He feels drowsy all time but has an inability to sleep. In delirium, he has fear of imaginary things. He sees monsters, tries to hide. Sometimes patient breaks into fits of laughter, after some time he gnashes the teeth and tries to bite people. This remedy is to give to a person who lives in his own world. He has various imaginary visions towards surrounding realities. Various kind of hallucinations is also seen. He sees monsters. He desires to escape. He sometimes has a loss of consciousness.

Dosage-Take one pill or five drops of the remedy every 15 minutes to 4 hours (15 minutes for intense symptoms, 4 hours for milder ones). Once an improvement is noticed, stop taking and repeat the remedy only if symptoms return. If there is no improvement at all by three doses, seek a doctor’s advice.

Lachesis

This remedy is associated with delirium which is seen at night. The patient mutters various words. He feels drowsy with a red face. A patient has slow, difficult speech and a dropped jaw. A patient has a special type of delirium in which he has a tendency to talk. He constantly jumps from one subject to another. The cause of this type of delirium can be over fatigue, loss of fluids, excessive study, fear of death. A patient has to fear to go to bed. He considers himself dead. The patient is sad in the morning. He has no desire to mix with the world. It is given when the patient feels restless and uneasy. He does not wish to attend to business. He wants to be off somewhere all the time. The patient is very suspicious. He has delusions of fire, especially at night.

Dosage-Take one pill or five drops of the remedy every 1 to 4 hours (1 hour for intense symptoms, 4 hours for milder ones). Once an improvement is noticed, stop taking and repeat the remedy only if symptoms return. If there is no improvement at all by three doses, choose a different remedy or seek professional guidance.

Phosphorus

This remedy is associated with delirium with a strange feeling that all his body is in pieces and he cannot get it together. He has a mania that he is very rich. This type of delirium is also related to excessive sexual desire. It can also be given when a patient has depression. He is easily angered. He has fear as if something is creeping out of every corner. The patient is over sensitive to his surrounding. He also suffers from loss of memory. He has fear of death when alone. It is given when the brain feels tired. The patient is often insane. He is restless. Sometimes the patient has no feeling towards family members.

Dosage-Take one pill or five drops of the remedy every 1 to 4 hours (1 hour for intense symptoms, 4 hours for milder ones). Once an improvement is noticed, stop dosing and repeat the remedy only if symptoms return. If there is no improvement at all by three doses, choose a different remedy or seek professional guidance.

Agaricus

The patient has constant delirium. He knows no one. He throws things at the people. He sings, talks, but does not answer questions. The patient tries to get out of bed. The patient also suffers from the twitching of muscles. The patient does not want to work. He is fearless. The first patient has increased cheerfulness, which great courage. The patient is very talkative with imaginary things in his mind. His vision of the size of objects is lost. He often takes long steps and jumps over small objects as if they were trunks of trees. After sometime patient has raging delirium with screaming. He wants to injure himself. Later in delirium, he has mental depression with lack of feeling, confusion. Patient does not want to work.

Dosage- 30 potency, 4 pellets 3 times a day for 5 days until improvement.

Gelsemium

It is given when a patient has delirium in sleep. The patient is half-waking and talks constantly. When a patient falls asleep he goes into delirium. The patient desires to be quiet. He wants to be left alone. The patient is very lazy and lacks the desire to do anything. He has no fear. He has delirium on falling asleep. This is caused by emotional excitement and fear.