• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.289-298
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• 2007

Delirium is a acute syndrome of disorientation caused by disfunction of brain tissue and has a variety of symptomes. It is characterized by disturbance of consciousness and attention, cognition, and perception for a brief period of time and tends to fluctuate during the course of the day. We experienced a 56 year-old woman who had a hypertension as well as Delirium caused by cranial contusion and whose condition was improved by Oriental medical treatment. this case study illustrates what the manifestation of Delirium caused by cranial contusion. This study shows more objective mecical pregress by grading Korean version of Delirium Rating Scale(K-DRS) and Korean version of Mini-Mental State Examination(K-MMSE). After our treatments, Delirium and some other symptoms were improved.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.473-485
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• 2023

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to report the effectiveness of the combination of Korean medicine therapy on elderly patients with delirium due to overdose of sedative-hypnotics. Methods: The patient was diagnosed with delirium, which occurred after an overdose of sedative-hypnotics. The patient received Korean Medicine treatment, including herbal medicine, acupuncture, moxibustion and psychotherapy, and other treatments. The evaluation variables to check the effectiveness of the interventions were the Korean Version of the Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 (K-DRS-R-98) Mini-Mental State Examination-Korean (MMSE-K) Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) and Manual Muscle Test (MMT). Results: During the hospitalization period, the K-DRS-R-98 score decreased from 31 to 4, MMSE-K score increased from 18 to 26. CDR score decreased from 2 to 0. MMT in the Right lower extremity was improved. Normal daily activities were possible. Conclusions: Combining Korean Medicine treatments, including herbal medicine, acupuncture, moxibustion, psychotherapy, and other treatments, may help alleviate delirium.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.339-349
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• 2022

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to report the effectiveness of the combination of Giungoroen-therapy, as well as other Korean medicine therapy on postoperative delirium. Methods: The patient was diagnosed with postoperative delirium, that occurred after arthroscopic debridement two months before hospitalization. The patient received Giungoroen-therapy in addition to conventional Korean Medicine treatment, including acupuncture, herbal medicine, and moxibustion. The evaluation variables to check the effectiveness of the interventions, were the Korean Nursing Delirium Screening Scale (Korean Nu-DESC) and the Korean Version of the Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 (K-DRS-R-98). Results: During the hospitalization period, the Korean Nu-DESC score decreased from 5 to 1, and the K-DRS-R-98 score decreased from 36 to 23. The subjective expression of anxiety had been reduced. Conclusions: The combination of Giungoroen-therapy, as well as other Korean medicine therapy including acupuncture, moxibustion, and herbal medicine may be useful in alleviating postoperative delirium.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.138-145
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• 2017

Objectives: The purpose of this case study is to describe the effect of Korean medicine on a patient with delirium caused by a left middle cerebral artery infarct. Methods: The patient was treated with Sopungbosimdodam-tang, acupuncture, and moxibustion. The Korean version of the Delirium Rating Scale (K-DRS), Neelon and Champagne (NEECHAM) Confusion Scale, and Korean Version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-K) were used to evaluate the effect of the treatment. Results: After 50 days of treatment with Sopungbosimdodam-tang, the patient's K-DRS score decreased from 16 to 8. The NEECHAM Confusion Scale also improved from 17 to 23, and the MMSE-K score improved from 1 to 7. Conclusion: This clinical study suggested that Korean medicine could contribute greatly to the treatment of delirium caused by a left middle cerebral artery infarct.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.194-200
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• 2018

Objectives : The significance of leukoaraiosis on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is uncertain, but it is often seen with vascular risk factors or in the context of cognitive impairment. We aimed to investigate the effect of leukoaraiosis on the severity and course of delirium. Methods : Periventricular hyperintensity and deep white matter hyperintensity on brain MRI were rated in 42 patients with delirium by semiquantative visual rating scale. Correlations between their grades and the scores of Korean version of Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 (K-DRS-R-98) were analyzed, and the interaction effects between the groups according to the levels of leukoaraiosis and two evaluation points were also analyzed. Results : The grade of deep white matter hyperintensity in the occipital lobe was positively correlated with the scores on the total, severity items, cognitive items, and non-cognitive items of K-DRS-R-98. The cognitive items scores of K-DRS-R-98 in the low grade group of periventricular hyperintensity showed significantly steeper decrease than the high grade group. Conclusions : A difference in severity or recovery speed of delirium according to the level of leukoaraiosis may result from disruption in brain functional connectivity. Our results have a clinical implication in that the severity and course of delirium can be possibly predicted using the level of leukoaraiosis.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.112-118
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• 2018

Objectives : Delirium is one of the most common mental illnesses that can affect cognitive function. Melatonin has been shown to be effective in the treatment of insomnia, and recent studies have shown a protective effect to prevent delirium. This study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of melatonin in delirium patients. Methods : All patients were referred to psychiatric department for insomnia and symptoms of delirium, and were diagnosed delirium by the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. We compared base line severity of delirium with K-DRS-R-98-R (Korean version of Delirium Rating Scale revised 98) and after taking 2mg of melatonin, retrospectively. The side effects were also identified by referring to the medical records. Results : A total 21 patients had taken melatonin for insomnia and delirious symptoms. The K-DRS-R-98 scores were decreased from $15.24{\pm}2.64$ before treatment to $6.57{\pm}5.42$ after treatment. And CGI-S scores were also decreased from $4.14{\pm}0.48$ before treatment to $2.81{\pm}0.93$ after treatment (p<0.05). Conclusions : This study illustrates the possibility of melatonin as an effective treatment option for delirious symptoms such as disorientation, motor agitation, lability of affect and hallucinations as well as insomnia, with less concerns of drug side effect. Further study with a larger sample and prospective design will be required to confirm these results.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.85-94
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• 2005

Objectives: This prospective and open-label study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of quetiapine and haloperidol in patients with delirium. Methods : Fourty patients(19 patients in a quetiapine group : 21 patients in a haloperidol group) with delirium by DSM-IV were treated with flexible doses of open-label qvetiapine and haloperidol. To evaluate the primary efficacy of the medication, scores from the Korean version of Delirium Rating Scale(K-DRS) were assessed every seven days and to evaluate the secondary efficacy and safety, scores from the Clinical Global Impression-Severity, Korean Version of Mini-Mental State Examination, and the Drug-Induced Extrapyramidal Symptoms Scale were assessed at the baseline and the seventh day. Data were gathered from November 2004 to June 2005. Results : K-DRS scores for each group decreased significantly over the study period; however, no significant differences between groups were found. The group-by-time effect was not significant. In addition, there was no significant difference in the frequency of response to drugs between the two groups. No patients reported clinically significant side effects. Conclusion : These data show no significant difference in the efficacy and safety between quetiapine and haloperidol in the treatment of delirium. Since haloperidol has a great possibility of causing a extrapyramidal side effect resulted by previous studies, it is expected that quetiapine, a renowned medication with low side effects, may be a useful alternative agent to haloperidol, the classical antipsy-chotics, in the treatment of delirium.