Biological and physical contributors

Cognitive impairment / delirium

Change or difficulty in attention, memory, orientation, reasoning or other cognitive functions.

Phenomenology/medical contextClinically reviewed

BiologicalCognition

Fit, function and alternatives

Test this factor against the case

A contextual factor earns a place in the formulation when case evidence links it to the presentation, not because it is present.

Check alternatives

Do not infer the process from a label, search phrase or diagnosis alone. Assess actual circumstances and source-specific population limits.

Next steps

Elicit case evidence, examine alternatives, discuss the hypothesis with the person, and revise when relevant evidence changes.

Qualification

Acute fluctuation requires a medical differential. A cognitive deficit does not itself determine legal decision-making capacity.

Caveats for this record

Educational formulation aid, not a diagnostic instrument, score or treatment order.
No generated history, trauma, protective factor, or patient preference may be asserted without case evidence.

Record status

Record type: Phenomenology/medical context
Population: Adult-general clinical formulation; apply narrower source population limits
Review: Clinically reviewed

Evidence

S03Diagnosis and mental state

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists · HTML text. Learning outcomes.

Competency source, not detailed diagnostic criteria or a medication guideline.

Link withheld: this source remains held and is cited as metadata only.

S08Comprehensive Care Standard

Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care · HTML text. Comprehensive assessment and care planning, Actions 5.10–5.14.

Organisation-level Australian standard, not a validated psychiatric formulation template.

Link withheld: this source remains held and is cited as metadata only.

Evidence references only. Each source's own limitations still apply.

Biological and physical contributors

Medical, neurological and endocrine contributors Medication and iatrogenic effects Neurodevelopmental and executive-function factors Pain and physical symptom burden Sleep and circadian disruption Substance intoxication, withdrawal and reinforcement

Guide modules

Rapid clinical formulation guide Foundations, terminology and evidence limits Practical assessment-to-formulation workflow Risk formulation and management linkage Documentation templates and worked examples

How to use this

Record the case evidence yourself. Nothing here is a patient finding, and no factor becomes a cause because it appears in the formulation.

Biological and physical contributors

Cognitive impairment / delirium

Change or difficulty in attention, memory, orientation, reasoning or other cognitive functions.

Phenomenology/medical contextClinically reviewed

BiologicalCognition

Fit, function and alternatives

Test this factor against the case

A contextual factor earns a place in the formulation when case evidence links it to the presentation, not because it is present.

Check alternatives

Do not infer the process from a label, search phrase or diagnosis alone. Assess actual circumstances and source-specific population limits.

Next steps

Elicit case evidence, examine alternatives, discuss the hypothesis with the person, and revise when relevant evidence changes.

Qualification

Acute fluctuation requires a medical differential. A cognitive deficit does not itself determine legal decision-making capacity.

Caveats for this record

Educational formulation aid, not a diagnostic instrument, score or treatment order.
No generated history, trauma, protective factor, or patient preference may be asserted without case evidence.

Record status

Record type: Phenomenology/medical context
Population: Adult-general clinical formulation; apply narrower source population limits
Review: Clinically reviewed

Evidence

S03Diagnosis and mental state

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists · HTML text. Learning outcomes.

Competency source, not detailed diagnostic criteria or a medication guideline.

Link withheld: this source remains held and is cited as metadata only.

S08Comprehensive Care Standard

Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care · HTML text. Comprehensive assessment and care planning, Actions 5.10–5.14.

Organisation-level Australian standard, not a validated psychiatric formulation template.

Link withheld: this source remains held and is cited as metadata only.

Evidence references only. Each source's own limitations still apply.

Biological and physical contributors

Guide modules

How to use this

Record the case evidence yourself. Nothing here is a patient finding, and no factor becomes a cause because it appears in the formulation.