On Delirium: A Medical Emergency Too Often Missed

In this episode of On the Mind, host Dr. Daniel Knoepflmacher speaks with Dr. Jeff Ha, Associate Program Director of Weill Cornell Medicine's Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Fellowship Program, about the diagnosis and treatment of delirium. Their discussion covers the diagnostic criteria for delirium, its clinical presentations across the hyperactive, hypoactive, and mixed subtypes, and the underlying neurobiological mechanisms that produce its characteristic waxing and waning course. Listeners will learn about the significant morbidity and mortality associated with delirium, with particular attention to the underrecognized danger of hypoactive delirium, the often prolonged and incomplete trajectory of recovery, and the demographic and cultural factors that shape both risk and diagnosis. The episode also explores the full spectrum of treatment as well as the psychological sequelae that can persist long after the acute episode resolves, including Post-Intensive Care Syndrome.

Dr. Ha reflects on the therapeutic value of family presence and the importance of psychoeducation for both patients and caregivers. This episode provides a comprehensive and clinically grounded guide to one of the most common and consequential conditions seen by psychiatrists in medical settings.