Friend Has Episodes of Delirium, Amnesia, and Bizarre Behavior

Reader’s Question

A friend of mine, 55 years old, does not abuse alcohol or any other substance, and has always been gentle and polite — but he has suddenly started behaving abnormally. About 5 days ago he was found in the lounge, semi-conscious and making indiscernible sounds and bizarre uncoordinated body movements. There was associated urinary incontinence. This lasted for about an hour; we called a doctor, who gave a diazepam injection. Early this morning he came out naked, wearing only a singlet, shouting and moving chaotically. A doctor was called, but he calmed down before doctor’s arrival. On both occasions, he did not recall what happened during this period of irrational behavior.

Our Consulting Clinical Psychologist’s Reply

To start our discussion, let’s first establish that his situation IS NOT a psychological disorder. Delirium, motor movements, amnesia, urinary incontinence, and bizarre behavior form NO specific mental disorder.

Your friend is experiencing a significant loss of consciousness and needs immediate medical evaluation and treatment. Many medical and neurological conditions can create the symptoms you report. First, I might suspect a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) created by a sudden decrease of cerebral blood flow. This may also be a type of Seizure Disorder, also suggesting a neurological issue. Such behavior may also be the result of a toxic condition — a medication interaction, excessive medications, etc. Other medical disorders/conditions can produce these symptoms but importantly — all of them are in need of immediate medical assessment.

I would strongly recommend that your friend seek immediate medical assessment. This is not a psychological “spell” and additional episodes may follow. As a friend, you may volunteer to accompany him to the physician — as he shouldn’t drive when these symptoms are present. Get your friend to a physician and a neurologist. Quick!

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