A Unique Case of Altered Mental Status: An Interdisciplinary Approach

Presented by:
Richa Vijayvargiya, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry
Psychiatry Service Director, UF Shands

Co-Presenters:
Farah Amer, MD
Naveen Baskaran, MD, MSHI
Michael Jaffee, MD
Brittany Milo, DO
Anu Sharma, MD

Faculty Disclosure:

Drs. Vijayvargiya, Amer, Baskaran, Jaffee, Milo, and Sharma have disclosed that they have no relevant financial relationship(s). No one else in a position to control content has any financial relationships to disclose.

Conflict of interest information for the CME Advisory Committee members can be found on the following website: https://cme.ufl.edu/disclosure/. All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated.

Release Date: September 8, 2023
Expiration Date: September 7, 2025

Target Audience: All physicians

Learning Objectives:

As a result of participation in this activity, participants should be able to:

  1. Outline the general medical workup indicated for altered mental status in the inpatient setting.
  2. Discuss the indications for specialized testing in cases of altered mental status.
  3. Identify an approach to creating a differential diagnosis for altered mental status.
  4. Discuss the possible causes of altered mental status and the role of a psychiatrist in certain cases.

Requirements for successful completion: Certificates are awarded upon successful completion (80% proficiency) of the post-test.

Accreditation: The University of Florida College of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit: The University of Florida College of Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Resource(s) for further study:

  1. American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 5th ed., text revision (DSM-5-TR). American Psychiatric Association Publishing. doi: 10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787​
  2. Delirium, dementia, & rapidly progressive dementia. Berkowitz A.L.(Ed.), (2022). Clinical Neurology & Neuroanatomy: A Localization-Based Approach, 2e. McGraw Hill. https://accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?bookid=3206§ionid=267390919
  3. Josephson S, & Miller B.L. (2022). Confusion and delirium. Loscalzo J, & Fauci A, & Kasper D, & Hauser S, & Longo D, & Jameson J(Eds.), Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, 21e. McGraw Hill. https://accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?bookid=3095§ionid=261487425​
  4. Stern, T. A., Freudenreich, O., Smith, F. A., Fricchione, G. L., & Rosenbau, J. F. (2017). Massachusetts General Hospital Handbook of General Hospital Psychiatry (7th ed.). Elsevier – OHCE. https://bookshelf.health.elsevier.com/books/9780323496445​
  5. Wilber, S. T., & Ondrejka, J. E. (2016). Altered mental status and delirium. Emergency medicine clinics of North America, 34(3), 649–665.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Nancy Boyd at (352) 594-4298 or at nancy.boyd@ufl.edu