The Psychiatric clinics of North America
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Delirium is a common syndrome in hospitalized medical and surgical patients and in those seen in emergency departments. It is particularly common in the demented elderly patients. ⋯ It is most important to diagnose delirium early and to search for its cause without delay as this may be life-saving in some patients and may help avoid injury in others. This syndrome, long neglected by investigators, calls for vigorous research to establish its epidemiology, pathogenesis, and long-term outcome.