Alberta Innovates- Health Solutions

Further research on delirium by Heritage researcher Dr. Scott Patten evaluated the most common causes of the disorder

• when the dosage of a medication is too high
• from a complicated interaction between two medications.

These results will be guidelines for prevention of delirium.

Dr. Patten's original study (reported in AHFMR Magazine January/February 1998) identified the incidence of delirium in psychiatric patients. Delirium is a state of mental confusion and sometimes nightmarish illusions, physical restlessness, and incoherence that can result from adverse drug reactions. It's preventable if doctors have the information they need to identify people at greatest risk and the medications most likely to cause this problem.

Dr. Patten has also completed the first study to find out how many Calgarians suffer from depression severe enough to require treatment. He also participates in another major study funded through the Health Research Fund to develop innovative ways (such as using the Internet) to prevent depression.

The Calgary psychiatrist evaluates the cause of depression in Canada using data from the National Population Health Survey. Initial results highlight the significance of long-term medical conditions, as well as more traditional factors, such as poverty, in contributing to depression among Canadians.

Dr. Scott Patten is a Heritage Population Health Investigator and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences and Psychiatry at the U of C. The Health Research Fund is administered by AHFMR for Alberta Health and Wellness.