Can a Television Help a Patient Who Has Delirium?
Delirium is a serious medical condition characterized by a sudden state of severe confusion and disorientation. Individuals experiencing delirium struggle with clear thinking, maintaining attention, and understanding their surroundings. They may also experience hallucinations, seeing or hearing things that aren’t real. Delirium often triggers feelings of fear, anger, loneliness, and shame in patients.
This condition is prevalent, affecting approximately two out of three patients in intensive care units (ICUs). A staggering seven out of ten patients experience delirium while on a ventilator or shortly after being removed from it. Medical experts believe changes in brain function trigger delirium.
Several factors can contribute to these brain function changes including reduced oxygen flow to the brain, the brain’s inability to utilize oxygen effectively, chemical imbalances within the brain, certain medications, infections, severe pain, underlying medical illnesses, alcohol or sedative use, pain killer use, and withdrawal from substances like alcohol and nicotine.
One potential contributing factor to delirium is a lack of sensory stimulation or environmental cues. In the sterile and often monotonous environment of a hospital, patients can become disoriented and confused. Providing appropriate sensory stimulation, such as access to television, might help ground patients in reality and reduce the severity of delirium. While research on the direct impact of television on delirium is limited, it can potentially offer a connection to the outside world, familiar faces and voices, and engaging storylines that can distract from the distressing symptoms of delirium.
Cognitive impairment, a common after-effect of critical illness, often manifests as difficulties in thinking, ranging from mild to severe. These difficulties can include problems with memory, attention, and other cognitive functions. A study involving over 800 critically ill patients revealed that more than half experienced cognitive impairment a year after their illness. Delirium was identified as the primary predictor of cognitive impairment. Notably, one-third of the patients exhibited cognitive impairment comparable to Alzheimer’s Disease, while another third displayed impairment similar to individuals who had sustained a traumatic brain injury.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is another potential consequence of experiencing delirium and a critical illness. This mental health condition arises from exposure to a traumatic and deeply disturbing event. The intense fear, confusion, and hallucinations associated with delirium can be profoundly traumatic, leading to the development of PTSD in some individuals.
Depression, a mental health condition marked by persistent sadness, loss of interest, and physical symptoms like fatigue and lethargy, can also occur following delirium and critical illness. The combination of physical recovery, cognitive challenges, and emotional distress can contribute to the onset of depression in vulnerable individuals. The experience of delirium itself, with its associated feelings of fear, isolation, and loss of control, can be a significant risk factor for developing depression.
