Agitation

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Central nervous system

Overview

Treatment

Agitation

Alternative Names:

Restlessness
Home Care:

A calm environment, plenty of sleep, adequate lighting, and any measure to reduce stress may help to decrease agitation. Avoid restraining an overly-agitated person if possible, since this usually makes the problem worse.

Communication of feelings is important.

Call your health care provider if:

there is prolonged or severe agitation, especially if accompanied by other unexplained symptoms.

What to expect at your health care provider's office:

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Your health care provider will obtain a medical history from either the patient or a family member and do a physical examination.

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

type
- Is the patient more talkative than usual or is there a feeling of pressure to keep talking?
- Does the patient show increased purposeless activity (e.g., pacing, hand wringing)?
- Is the patient extremely restless?
- Is the patient trembling or twitching?
time pattern
- Was the agitation a short episode?
- Is the agitation persistent?
  - How long did it persist -- 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?
- Does the patient take any medications, in particular, steroids or thyroid medicine?
- How much alcohol does the patient drink?
- How much caffeine does the patient drink?
- Does the patient use any drugs, in particular, cocaine, narcotics, or amphetamines (speed)?
other
- What other symptoms are also present?
- Is there confusion, memory loss, hyperactivity, or hostility (these symptoms may play an important role in diagnosis).