If the symptoms develop over a short period of time, fluctuate over the course of the day, or can be caused by a general medical condition, it is quite possible that the patient is suffering from delirium. In order to effectively treat delirium, the doctor needs to first identify the underlying cause. Haloperidol is commonly given to patients experiencing delirium to try to reduce the symptoms. Psychosis Psychosis is usually used as another term for schizophrenia or bipolar disorders. Schizophrenia is a group of mental disorders that involve disturbances of thinking, mood, and behavior.
Bipolar disorders involve periods of depression followed by periods of mania.
Mania can be accompanied by grandiosity, lack of sleep, and excessive activity. One well-known bipolar disorder is manic depression. The treatment of schizophrenia for elderly patients is largely the same as in other schizophrenic patients. Some of the minor differences are the necessity to treat depression that often results in elderly patients as a result of psychosis. Younger patients are less likely to become depressed as a direct result of schizophrenia.