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Excited Delirium Syndrome: Diagnosis and Treatment

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Behavioral Emergencies for Healthcare Providers

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Abstract

Excited delirium syndrome (ExDS) is a specific type of agitation in which individuals typically present in an extremely violent and uncontrollable manner. The actual existence of ExDS, which is not currently listed in the APA Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), has been criticized by some as having been “invented” to classify and ultimately justify deaths that occur in highly agitated individuals during police arrest and restraint. Many researchers, however, believe that ExDS has a long history and has been described using various terms over the past two centuries. Although ExDS does not always result in death, it does carry relatively high mortality compared to other acute behavioral emergencies. Similar to delirium generally, ExDS is a behavioral manifestation of a medical emergency. Knowledge of this condition is therefore significant for individuals who take care of patients in the acute setting, both in and out of the hospital. This includes law enforcement officers, emergency medical system (EMS) providers, critical care psychiatrists, and emergency physicians.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA

    Michael P. Wilson

  2. Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Health Sciences, San Diego, CA, USA

    Gary M. Vilke

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  1. Michael P. Wilson
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  2. Gary M. Vilke
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Correspondence to Michael P. Wilson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Emergency Medicine, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science/ The Chicago Medical School, North Chicago, IL, USA

    Leslie S. Zun

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz, Aurora, CO, USA

    Kimberly Nordstrom

  3. Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA

    Michael P. Wilson

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Wilson, M.P., Vilke, G.M. (2021). Excited Delirium Syndrome: Diagnosis and Treatment. In: Zun, L.S., Nordstrom, K., Wilson, M.P. (eds) Behavioral Emergencies for Healthcare Providers. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52520-0_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52520-0_16

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