Diagnostic criteria for Delirium Due to Multiple Etiologies
(cautionary statement)
A. Disturbance of consciousness (i.e., reduced clarity of awareness of the environment) with reduced ability to focus, sustain, or shift attention.
B. A change in cognition (such as memory
deficit, disorientation, language disturbance) or the development of a perceptual disturbance that is not better accounted for by a preexisting, established, or evolving
dementia.
C. The disturbance develops over a short period of time (usually hours to days) and tends to fluctuate during the course of the day.
D. There is evidence from the history, physical examination, or laboratory findings that the delirium has more than one etiology (e.g., more than one etiological general medical condition, a general medical condition plus
Substance Intoxication
or medication side effect).
Coding note: Use multiple codes reflecting specific delirium and specific etiologies, e.g., 293.0 Delirium Due to Viral Encephalitis; 291.0 Alcohol Withdrawal Delirium.
Reprinted with permission from the Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth Edition. Copyright 1994 American
Psychiatric Association
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