Health Encyclopedia

Home | List of Topics | Psychiatry | Behavioral Health

Agitation

Definition

Agitation is an unpleasant state of extreme arousal, increased tension, and irritability.

Alternative Names

Restlessness

Considerations

Extreme agitation can lead to confusion, hyperactivity, and hostility. Agitation can come on suddenly or over time. It can last for just a few minutes, or for weeks and even months. Pain, stress, and fever can all increase agitation.

Agitation by itself may not be a sign of a health problem. However, if other symptoms occur, it can be a sign of disease.

When agitation lasts for hours and there is changed awareness (altered consciousness), doctors often call this "delirium." Usually this has a medical cause such as alcohol withdrawal or an infection (in elderly adults). Older adults often have delirium while hospitalized.

Common Causes

Causes of agitation include:

• Alcohol withdrawal
• Nicotine withdrawal
• Cocaine withdrawal
• Opiate withdrawal
• Caffeine
• Cocaine, hallucinogenic drugs, ephedrine
• Theophylline or other medicines
• Vitamin B6 deficiency
• Hyperthyroidism
• Medical tests that involve injecting a "contrast medium" into the patient

Agitation can be associated with anxiety and depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.

Home Care

A calm environment, plenty of sleep, adequate lighting, and stress-reducing measures can help reduce agitation. Don't restrain an overly-agitated person if possible, since this usually worsens the problem.

Communicating your feelings is important.

Call your health care provider if

Contact your health care provider if you have prolonged or severe agitation, especially if you also have other unexplained symptoms.

What to expect at your health care provider's office

Your health care provider will take a medical history and do a physical examination.

To help better understand your agitation, your doctor may ask the following questions:

• Type
  • Are you more talkative than usual or do you feel pressure to keep talking?
  • Do you find yourself doing purposeless activities (e.g., pacing, hand wringing)?
  • Are you extremely restless?
  • Are you trembling or twitching?
• Time pattern
  • Was the agitation a short episode?
  • Is the agitation persistent?
    • How long did it last -- for how many day(s)?
• Aggravating factors
  • Does the agitation seem to be triggered by reminders of a traumatic event?
  • Did you notice anything else that may have triggered agitation?
  • Do you take any medications, especially steroids or thyroid medicine?
  • How much alcohol do you drink?
  • How much caffeine do you drink?
  • Do you use any drugs, such as cocaine, narcotics, or "speed" (amphetamines)?
• Other
  • What other symptoms do you have?
  • Is there confusion, memory loss, hyperactivity, or hostility (these symptoms can play an important role in diagnosis).

Diagnostic tests may include:

• Vital signs (temperature, pulse, breathing rate, blood pressure)
• Blood studies (such as CBC, blood differential, thyroid studies, drug screening)
• Head CT scan or cranial MRI (head)
• Lumbar puncture
• X-rays of the skull

Review Date:7/27/2007
Reviewed By:Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Psychiatry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is the first of its kind, requiring compliance with 53 standards of quality and accountability, verified by independent audit. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial process. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics (www.hiethics.com) and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

The Agency for Health Care Administration (Agency) and this website do not claim the information on, or referred to by, this site is error free. This site may include links to websites of other government agencies or private groups. Our Agency and this website do not control such sites and are not responsible for their content. Reference to or links to any other group, product, service, or information does not mean our Agency or this website approves of that group, product, service, or information.

Additionally, while health information provided through this website may be a valuable resource for the public, it is not designed to offer medical advice. Talk with your doctor about medical care questions you may have.