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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffIf you're the relative or primary caregiver of a person with delirium, you'll likely play a role in making an appointment or providing information for the doctor.
What you can do
You can prepare for the appointment — or prepare for a consultation with a doctor if the person is hospitalized — by making a list of the following items:
- Medications. Include all prescriptions and over-the-counter medications, as well as dietary supplements, the person takes.
- Doctors. Provide the names and contact information of any doctors, psychotherapists or other clinicians who provide care for the person.
- Symptoms. Record the time of onset, a description of all symptoms and minor changes in behaviors that may have preceded the onset of delirium symptoms.
- Questions. List questions from most to least important, because you may have limited time with the doctor.
What to expect from the doctor
Be prepared to answer the following questions that may help the doctor assess the person's condition and make a diagnosis:
- When did the symptoms begin?
- Have the symptoms changed since you first observed them? Do the symptoms come and go?
- Has the person been diagnosed with dementia?
- What were the person's memory and other thinking skills like before the onset of symptoms?
- How well did the person perform everyday activities before the onset of symptoms?
- Can he or she usually function independently?
- What other medical conditions have been diagnosed?
- Does the person take his or her prescription medications as directed? When did he or she have the most recent dose?
- Does the person have a history of alcohol or drug abuse?
- Do you know if the person recently drank alcohol or used recreational drugs? How much?
- Has the person experienced a recent head injury or other trauma?
- Has the person recently appeared depressed, extremely sad or withdrawn?
- Delirium. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR. 4th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2000. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Dec. 8, 2009.
- Inouye SK. Delirium in older persons. New England Journal of Medicine. 2006;354:1157.
- Gleason OC. Delirium. American Family Physician. 2003;67:1027.
- Saxena S, et al. Delirium in the elderly: A clinical review. Postgraduate Medical Journal. 2009;85:405.
- Francis J, et al. Diagnosis of delirium and confusional states. http://www.uptodate.com/index.html. Accessed Dec. 8, 2009.
- Potter J, et al. The prevention, diagnosis and management of delirium in older people: Concise guidelines. Clinical Medicine. 2006;6:303.
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