First Person Account COVID 19 Delirium in a Doctor

Previous studies reported that 20-30% of COVID-19 patients will develop delirium during the hospitalization, achieving 70% in cases of severe illness. The risks factors and the consequences of delirium are well-documented in the literature; however, little is known about the personal experience of d...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Arumi, Antonio, Bulbena-Cabre, Andrea|||0000-0001-7070-2014, Bulbena Vilarrasa, Antonio|||0000-0003-2404-2478
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:236927
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/236927
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.626648
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:COVID 19
Delirium
Fear
Confusion
Delirium experience
Delirium burden
Descripción
Sumario:Previous studies reported that 20-30% of COVID-19 patients will develop delirium during the hospitalization, achieving 70% in cases of severe illness. The risks factors and the consequences of delirium are well-documented in the literature; however, little is known about the personal experience of delirium. Delirium burden is common and tends to be distressing even after the delirium episode has resolved. Taking this in mind, the present work provides a first-person account of a doctor who acquired Covid-19 and developed bilateral pneumonia and had delirium and a complicate course of illness. During the course of his delirium, the patient recalled experiences of reality and unreality, complete disorientation, lack of control, strong emotions, and intense fear of dying which was significantly distressing. We anticipate that delirium burden will be common on these patients and family members and clinicians should be aware of this phenomenon in order to evaluate the neuropsychiatric consequences of this condition.