What Is Excited Delirium?

What is excited delirium and why is it important to law enforcement? Over the years the condition has been named and re-named as part of its very long and sorted history. A very small snap shot of what excited delirium entails is that it is a medical and physiological condition that sends the body into overdrive that elevates the heart and respiratory rates plus triggers other neurological changes. When the body can no longer operate at this very high capacity it begins to crash. This high level of agitation followed by the deceleration often has devastating effects on the individual that can result in an apparent unexplained death. Our bodies operate sort of like a machine if you continue to run them at elevated temperatures hotter then what they are designed for and ignore all of the built in safety features that indicate an impending issue eventually the engine is going to be pushed past its breaking point and seize thus rendering it inoperable. This same logic is what applies to how excited delirium can have disastrous results. Our bodies are only designed to handle so much our hearts can only beat so fast for so long until it says that’s it no more I can’t keep this rate up I quit. Usually the crash happens so quickly a normal arrhythmia …show more content…
Originally, cases of excited delirium were for the most part seen in mental health facilities. These cases are documented in the United States as far back as 1849, when they were known as, “Bell Mania.” In these documented cases from the McLeon Asylum in Massachusetts under the care of Dr. Bell there were 40 cases which all required restraints and resulted in a 75% fatality rate. In the State of Carolina between the years of 1915-1937 there were 360 documented fatalities that listed the cause of death as, “exhaustion due to mental