Psychopharmacological Treatment of Delirium to Restore Mental Capacity

The authors report four patient cases of delirium in which medications were used to restore mental capacity when life-or-death treatment decisions were required. Although extensive literature on substituted judgment exists for delirium and depression compromising capacity to make competent decisions...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychosomatics (Washington, D.C.) D.C.), 1998-03, Vol.39 (2), p.112-117
Main Authors: Bostwick, John Michael, Masterson, Brian J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Biological and medical sciences
Delirium - therapy
Female
Flumazenil - therapeutic use
GABA Modulators - therapeutic use
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Mental Health
Middle Aged
Miscellaneous
Neuropharmacology
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
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Summary:The authors report four patient cases of delirium in which medications were used to restore mental capacity when life-or-death treatment decisions were required. Although extensive literature on substituted judgment exists for delirium and depression compromising capacity to make competent decisions, the authors could locate no articles proposing aggressive delirium treatment for restoring patients’ capacity to participate in their own care. Without surgical intervention, all four of the authors’ patients faced imminent death. Without psychopharmacologic banishment of the patients’ deliria, proxies would have been asked whether the patients should undergo potentially lifesaving but high-risk procedures. The patients would have lost the opportunity to express their wishes about heroic lifesaving medical measures.
ISSN:0033-3182
1545-7206
DOI:10.1016/S0033-3182(98)71357-X