Altered Mental Status

Objectives:

• Recognize key history findings suggestive of different causes of altered mental status
• Recognize key physical findings suggestive of different causes of altered mental status
• List high-risk causes of altered mental status in adults and children
• Perform critical actions for high-risk causes of altered mental status

Overview:

• Altered mental status is a term used for a range of presentations
  • Sudden or gradual changes in behaviour
  • Disorientation
  • Confusion
  • Coma
• May be due to conditions that affect the brain or the brain itself
• Can be chronic psychiatric problems or dementia but must rule out other life-threatening causes first
• Delirium always requires a full assessment
  • Ask family about baseline mental status when possible