Excited Delirium Syndrome: Cause of Death and Prevention PDF

PREFACE

Beginning in the early 1980s, an increasing number of deaths in association with excited delirium and physical restraint by law enforcement personnel occurred. This has continued to the present time. Most of these deaths are associated with abuse of cocaine or methamphetamine. At the same time, a smaller number of deaths, unrelated to cocaine and methamphetamine abuse, were reported in mental institutions. These deaths, which occurred while in police custody or in mental institutions, were nearly universally blamed on the actions of police and medical personnel attempting physical restraint. Numerous lawsuits were filed and in some cases criminal prosecution was either instituted or proposed.

The senior author of this book (T.G.D.) obtained her Bachelor of Nursing degree from the School of Nursing at the University of Texas Health Science at San Antonio. Following this, she worked as a psychiatric nurse. It was at this time that she encountered and responded to numerous individuals experiencing acute psychotic episodes requiring physical restraint. This led to an interest in the cause of sudden death in acutely psychotic patients in psychiatric settings and, thus, the genesis of this book. While writing this book, she obtained a Graduate Certificate in Forensic Nursing from Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. She has lectured to nurses, police, and the general scientific community on excited delirium syndrome.

The second author (V.J.M.D.) is a forensic pathologist with 35 years experience in the field. He is the Chief Medical Examiner of Bexar County Texas, Professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Texas Health Science at San Antonio, Editor of the American Journal of Medicine and Pathology , and the author of three texts on forensic pathology. His interest in the excited delirium syndrome was initiated by the senior author.

It is hoped that this book will dispel some of the misconceptions regarding deaths due to excited delirium syndrome, present a rational explanation for this entity, and present ways that deaths from excited delirium can be prevented.