Silencing the voiceA persistent voice told him to do it, but Mr. Jones* managed to ignore the deadly urge. "About two months ago, when I was walking along the street, a voice said, 'You should step in front of a bus,' but I didn't. That day my will was more powerful than that voice." The voice the 57-year-old heard was a symptom of delirium brought on by withdrawal from alcohol after years of heavy drinking.Delirium is a state of mental confusion marked by illusions, hallucinations, physical restlessness, and incoherence, and can result from adverse drug reactions. One type of the condition is delirium tremens (DTs) from which Mr. Jones suffered. Delirium is common among people who abuse drugs, or who experience withdrawal from drugs such as alcohol or cocaine. Mr. Jones quieted the voice he heard and the hallucinations he experienced by avoiding liquor. Although he says drinking made them disappear, they returned when he stopped imbibing. "Coming down from drinking, I'd hear the radiator playing the 1812 Overture and I'd see snakes and rats and mice," says the Calgary resident. "The only way to make it all go away was to drink again."
Mr. Jones is not one of the patients included in Dr. Patten's study, but he is one of those permanently affected by delirium. |
Although he has been sober for 20 years, Mr. Jones still suffers occasional hallucinations. "One of the unfortunate things about delirium is it can have lasting effects on a patient. For some people there can be long-term neurological damage," explains U of C Heritage researcher Dr. Scott Patten, who has just completed the first in-depth study tracking the incidence of the condition in psychiatric patients.
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Disseminating Research | Fall Prevention | Tracking Delirium
Silencing the Voice | SEARCH Profiles