<unk>  (also known as acute confusional state) is an organically caused decline from a previous baseline of mental function that develops over a short period of time, typically hours to days.<unk>  is a syndrome encompassing disturbances in attention, consciousness, and cognition. It may also involve other neurological deficits, such as psychomotor disturbances (e.g. hyperactive, hypoactive, or mixed), impaired sleep-wake cycle, emotional disturbances, and perceptual disturbances (e.g. hallucinations and delusions), although these features are not required for diagnosis.<unk>  is caused by an acute organic process, which is a physically identifiable structural, functional, or chemical problem in the brain that may arise from a disease process outside the brain that nonetheless affects the brain. It may result from an underlying disease process (e.g. infection, hypoxia), side effect of a medication, withdrawal from drugs, over-consumption of alcohol, usage of hallucinogenic deliriants, or from any number of factors affecting one's overall health (e.g. malnutrition, pain, etc.). In contrast, fluctuations in mental status/function due to changes in primarily psychiatric processes or diseases (e.g. schizophrenia, bipolar disorder) do not, by definition, meet the criteria for<unk> .'<unk>  may be difficult to diagnose without the proper establishment of a person's usual mental function. Without careful assessment and history,<unk>  can easily be confused with a number of psychiatric disorders or chronic organic brain syndromes because of many overlapping signs and symptoms in common with dementia, depression, psychosis, etc.<unk>  may manifest from a baseline of existing mental illness, baseline intellectual disability, or dementia, without being due to any of these problems. Treatment of<unk>  requires identifying and managing the underlying causes, managing<unk>  symptoms, and reducing the risk of complications. In some cases, temporary or symptomatic treatments are used to comfort the person or to facilitate other care (e.g. preventing people from pulling out a breathing tube). Antipsychotics are not supported for the treatment or prevention of<unk>  among those who are in hospital; however they will be used in cases where a patient has a history of anxiety, hallucinations or if they are a danger to themselves or others. When<unk>  is caused by alcohol or sedative hypnotic withdrawal, benzodiazepines are typically used as a treatment. There is evidence that the risk of<unk>  in hospitalized people can be reduced by systematic good general care. In a DSM assessment,<unk>  was found to affect 14–24% of all hospitalized individuals, with an overall prevalence for the general population as 1–2%, increasing with age, reaching 14% of adults over age 85. Among older adults,<unk>  was found to occur in 15–53% of those post-surgery, 70–87% of those in the ICU, and in up to 60% of those in nursing homes or post-acute care settings. Among those requiring critical care,<unk>  is a risk for death within the next year.
Delirium
Dementia
Excited delirium
Status epilepticus
Ateliosis
Dancing mania
Oneiroid syndrome
Depression of Alzheimer disease