View source for Confusion

{{short description|State of being bewildered or unclear in one's mind about something}}
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{{Redirect-multi|3|Confuse|Confused|Puzzled|the video game|Puzzled (video game)|the Spandau Ballet song "Confused"|Journeys to Glory}}
{{Self-reference|You may also be looking for [[Template:Distinguish]], [[Template:Confused?]], or [[Template:Confusing]].}}
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{{Missing information|the causes of confusion that are not related to pharmacology|date=April 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}}
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| caption         =  A child confused by the camera
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{{Emotion}}
In [[psychology]], '''confusion''' is the quality or emotional state of being bewildered or unclear.<!-- Another Webster definition says "a confused mass or mixture". --> The term "acute mental confusion"<ref name="oxforddictionaries.com">[https://web.archive.org/web/20110603090426/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/confusion ''Confusion Definition''] on [[Oxford Dictionaries (website)|Oxford Dictionaries]].</ref> is often used interchangeably with [[delirium]]<ref>[http://www.symptomfind.com/symptoms/confusion/ ''Delirium''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513084737/https://www.symptomfind.com/symptoms/confusion/ |date=13 May 2019 }}, Symptom Finder online.</ref> in the ''[[International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems]]'' and the ''[[Medical Subject Headings]]'' publications to describe the [[pathology]]. These refer to the loss of [[Orientation (mental)|orientation]], or the ability to place oneself correctly in the world by time, location and personal identity. Mental confusion is sometimes accompanied by disordered [[consciousness]] (the loss of linear thinking) and [[memory]] loss (the inability to correctly recall previous events or learn new material).<ref name=thefreedictionary>[http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/mental+confusion confusion] in TheFreeDictionary, citing: Dorland's Medical Dictionary for Health Consumers; 2007; Saunders.</ref>

==Etymology==
The word confusion derives from the [[Latin]] word, ''confundo'', which means "confuse, mix, blend, pour together, disorder, embroil."

==Causes==
Confusion may result from drug side effects or from a relatively sudden brain dysfunction. Acute confusion is often called [[delirium]] (or "acute confusional state"),<ref>[http://www.patient.info/doctor/Acute-Confusional-State.htm ''Acute Confusional State'']; Dr. Gurvinder Rull; patient.info; Document ID/Version/Reference: 1714/22/bgp2104; updated: 13 Jan 2009; accessed: ''when?''.</ref> although delirium often includes a much broader array of disorders than simple confusion. These disorders include the inability to focus attention; various impairments in awareness, and temporal or spatial dis-orientation. Mental confusion can result from chronic organic brain pathologies, such as [[dementia]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ried |first1=S. |last2=Gutzmann |first2=H. |date=2003-08-01 |title=Das Pflegephänomen "Chronische Verwirrtheit" im Kontext der Diagnose "Demenz" |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00391-003-0129-6 |journal=Zeitschrift für Gerontologie und Geriatrie |volume=36 |issue=4 |pages=297–302 |doi=10.1007/s00391-003-0129-6 |pmid=12937935 |issn=0948-6704|url-access=subscription }}</ref> as well.

===Other===
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Acute stress reaction]]
* [[Alcoholism]]
* [[Anemia]]
* [[Anticholinergic toxicity]]<ref name="pmid30521219">{{cite journal| title=StatPearls | year= 2021 | volume= | issue= | pages= | pmid=30521219 | doi= | pmc= | url= | last1=Broderick | first1=E. D. | last2=Metheny | first2=H. | last3=Crosby | first3=B. | website = StatPearls}} </ref>
* [[Anxiety]]
* [[Brain damage]]
* [[Brain tumor]]
* [[Concussion]]
* [[Dehydration]]
* [[Encephalopathy]]
* [[Epileptic seizure]]
* [[Depression (mood)|Depression]]
* [[Fatigue]]
* [[Fever]]
* [[Brain injury]]
* [[Heat stroke]]
* [[Hypoglycemia]]
* [[Hypothermia]]
* [[Hypothyroidism]]
* [[Jet lag]]
* [[Kidney failure]]
* Kidney infection ([[pyelonephritis]])
* [[Lactic acidosis]]
* [[Lassa fever]]
* [[Lewy body dementia]]
* [[Listeria]]
* [[Lyme disease]]
* [[Meningitis]]
* [[Postpartum depression]] & [[Postpartum psychosis]]
* [[Psychotic Disorder]]
* [[Reye's syndrome]]
* [[Rocky Mountain spotted fever]] (RMSF)
* [[Schizophrenia]]
* [[Sick building syndrome]]
* [[Sleep apnea]]
* [[Stroke]]
* [[Yellow fever]]
* [[Sexually transmitted infection|STDs & STIs]]
* [[Streptococcal]] Infections
* [[Toxicity]]
* [[Toxic shock syndrome]]
* [[Transient ischemic attack]] (TIA, Mini-Stroke)
* [[Vitamin B12 deficiency|Vitamin B<sub>12</sub> deficiency]]
* Acute [[Porphyria]]
* [[West Nile virus]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.medicinenet.com/confusion/symptoms.htm|title=Confusion: Symptoms, Signs, Causes & Treatment|work=MedicineNet|access-date=3 February 2016}}</ref>
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===Differential diagnosis===
The most common causes of drug induced acute confusion are [[dopaminergic]] drugs (used for the treatment of [[Parkinson's disease]]), [[diuretics]], [[tricyclic antidepressants|tricyclic]], [[tetracyclic antidepressants]] and [[benzodiazepines]] or [[Alcohol (drug)|alcohol]]. The elderly, and especially those with pre-existing dementia, are most at risk for drug induced acute confusional states.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hufschmidt |first1=A. |last2=Shabarin |first2=V. |last3=Zimmer |first3=T. |title=Drug-induced confusional states: the usual suspects? |journal=[[Acta Neurologica Scandinavica]] |volume=120 |issue=6 |pages=436–8 |date=Dec 2009 |doi=10.1111/j.1600-0404.2009.01174.x |pmid=19804475|s2cid=24861855 |doi-access=free }}</ref> New research is finding a link between [[vitamin D]] deficiency and [[cognitive impairment]] (which includes "foggy brain").<ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://mediatum.ub.tum.de/doc/1218731/file.pdf |title=Vitamin D Deficiency, Cognitive Impairment and Dementia: A Systematic Review and MetaAnalysis| doi=10.1159/000339702 | pmid=22759681 |volume=33 |year=2012 |journal= Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders|pages=297–305 | last1 = Etgen | first1 = T. | last2 = Sander | first2 = D. | last3 = Bickel | first3 = H. | last4 = Sander | first4 = K. | last5 = Förstl | first5 = H.|issue=5|s2cid=5303760}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Cognitive distortion]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Medical resources
| ICD10={{ICD10|R|41|0|r|40}}
| ICD9={{ICD9|298.9}}
| MedlinePlus=003205
| MeshID=D003221
}}
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* [https://www.nlm.nih.gov/ National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health]

{{emotion-footer}}
{{Cognition, perception, emotional state and behaviour symptoms and signs}}

[[Category:Anxiety]]
[[Category:Cognitive dissonance]]
[[Category:Emotions]]
[[Category:Neurology]]
[[Category:Symptoms and signs of mental disorders]]
[[Category:Failure]]
[[Category:Mental states]]
[[Category:Cognitive neuroscience]]
[[Category:Error]]
[[Category:Delirium]]


[[de:Verworrenheit]]