Loading…
Presentation comparison
Emergency3 of 7 diagnoses compared
| CriteriaComparison detail | AkathisiaEmergency |
|---|
Subjective bodily torment and urge to move dominate. Mood or psychosis may be absent.
Clinical reference — not validated decision support. Review before use.
| DeliriumEmergency |
|---|
| Bipolar maniaEmergencyNot selected |
|---|
| Stimulant intoxicationEmergencyNot selected |
|---|
| PanicEmergencyNot selected |
|---|
| Catatonic excitementEmergencyNot selected |
|---|
| Why it fits | Inner restlessness, pacing, shifting, inability to sit still after antipsychotic/antiemetic/antidepressant | Fearful, suspicious, internally preoccupied, command-driven pacing/guarding/aggression | New agitation with fluctuating attention, altered awareness, pain, retention, constipation, infection | Restless overactivity with decreased need for sleep, pressured speech, irritability, impulsivity | After methamphetamine, cocaine, synthetic stimulants, heavy caffeine, or stimulant crash | Shaking, pacing, fleeing, startle, breathlessness, terror after trigger/conflict/reminder | Severe purposeless excitement, impulsive/bizarre overactivity, odd postures, switching between excitement/shutdown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What argues against | Applies to the whole presentationReview locally. | ||||||
| Must-not-miss | Suicidality from unbearable restlessness, recent dose escalation, mislabelled behavioural disturbance | Violence, self-harm, food/fluid refusal, first-episode medical psychosis red flags | Sepsis, hypoxia, stroke, withdrawal, head injury, medication toxicity | Psychosis | |||
| Bedside question | Applies to the whole presentationSubjective bodily torment and urge to move dominate. Mood or psychosis may be absent. | ||||||
| Immediate action | Applies to the whole presentationStabilise and reassess. | ||||||
| Investigations | Applies to the whole presentationGuided by presentation. | ||||||
| Mimics / overlap | Applies to the whole presentationReview overlap locally. | ||||||
Scroll horizontally to review more candidate differentials. Clinical reference — not validated decision support. Review before use.
Review locally.
Subjective bodily torment and urge to move dominate. Mood or psychosis may be absent.
Stabilise and reassess.
Guided by presentation.
Review overlap locally.
Inner restlessness, pacing, shifting, inability to sit still after antipsychotic/antiemetic/antidepressant
Suicidality from unbearable restlessness, recent dose escalation, mislabelled behavioural disturbance
Fearful, suspicious, internally preoccupied, command-driven pacing/guarding/aggression
Violence, self-harm,
New agitation with fluctuating attention, altered awareness, pain, retention, constipation, infection
Sepsis, hypoxia, stroke
Safety first. Act early.
Create a concise comparison summary for documentation or handoff.
Source pending review
v10 | Local content only
Last updated: Pending review
Open a selected differential to review its clinical record.
Based on current selection
Create a concise comparison summary for documentation or handoff.
Source pending review
v10 | Local content only
Last updated: Pending review
| Hyperthermia, chest pain, rhabdomyolysis, seizures, severe paranoia |
| Severe dissociation, self-harm, unsafe absconding, ACS/PE/asthma mimics |
| Malignant catatonia, autonomic instability, dehydration, rhabdomyolysis |