• Sandeep Grover, Savita Malhotra, Rahul Bharadwaj, Subodh Bn, and Suresh Kumar.
• Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh, India. drsandeepg2002@yahoo.com
• Int J Psychiatry Med. 2009 Jan 1;39(2):179-87.

ObjectiveTo study the clinical profile of children and adolescents (< or = 14 years) referred to the Consultation-Liaison (CL) psychiatry services of a Tertiary Care Centre.DesignRetrospective chart review.SettingPatients seen by the CL psychiatry services of Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh.ParticipantsSubjects diagnosed as delirium (as per ICD-10) during their inpatient stay was done.Main Outcome Measuresphenomenology of delirium and response to treatment.ResultForty-six children and adolescents were diagnosed as delirium by the psychiatry consultation-liaison team. The most common underlying pathology was infection of various types, followed by neoplasms. All subjects exhibited sleep-wake cycle disturbance and impaired orientation. Other common symptoms were impaired attention (89.5%), impaired short-term memory (84.2%), agitation (68.4%), and lability of affect (60.5%). Delusions and hallucinations were reported by only a few patients. Most of the patients were treated with low dose haloperidol and they responded well.ConclusionSleep wake cycle disturbances and cognitive dysfunction are common in children and adolescents with delirium.

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