Abstract
The term “confusion” is used loosely to describe any recent disturbance of higher mental function. Strictly speaking “confusion” means “lack of clarity of thought”-which may better describe the mind of the doctor than that of his patient. It is usually preferable to describe the patient as having an “impaired mental state”, which must then be defined in terms of her cognitive, affective and behavioural abnormalities.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1990 Springer-Verlag London Limited
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Godwin-Austen, R., Bendall, J. (1990). “Confusion” and Dementia. In: The Neurology of the Elderly. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-1758-2_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-1758-2_3
Publisher Name: Springer, London
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-19593-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-1758-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive