Full-blown symptoms usually develop over a three day period of time. The delirium may resolve in a few hours or symptoms may persist for weeks. Neurologic examination may reveal abnormalities, including abnormal reflexes and abnormal levels of normal reflexes. Psychological tests of sensation, cognitive function and motor function may be abnormal as well. A person diagnosed with delirium due to a general medical condition may experience associated features of the disorder.
Delirium tends to disturb the sleep-wake cycle, such as daytime fatigue or nighttime agitation.
Many individuals with delirium are hyperactive. The hyperactivity is characterized by the manifestation of increased psychomotor activity that may include groping at bedclothes, attempting to get out of bed at unsafe or untimely occasions and sudden movement. The opposite is also possible. An individual may show decreased psychomotor activity. This decrease is often characterized by sluggishness and lethargy.