Confusion or behavioural change during illness
All psychiatric servicesArea of care
Psychiatry for Medical Illness
Psychiatric assessment when emotional, behavioural or cognitive symptoms occur alongside a medical or surgical condition.
Confidential English and Hindi Detailed assessment
Beyond the symptom list
Care that understands the person and their context
Good care connects symptoms with sleep, health, relationships, responsibilities and the support available around the person.
Understanding the concern
The experience matters as much as the label.
Medical illness, hospital admission, medicines and neurological or metabolic problems can affect mood, behaviour, sleep and thinking. Consultation-liaison psychiatry works alongside the treating medical team to clarify causes and support safe, coordinated care.
You do not need to identify the condition yourself before consulting. Begin with what has changed, how long it has continued and how it is affecting everyday life.
Anxiety or depression affecting treatment
Sleep or adjustment difficulties in hospital
Psychiatric symptoms linked to medicines or medical conditions
What assessment considers
A symptom can have more than one explanation.
The pattern
When symptoms began, their frequency, severity and effect on work, study, sleep or relationships.
Health and medicines
Physical illness, prescribed medicines, substances and relevant investigations where needed.
Life context
Recent changes, stress, family observations, support systems and the person’s own priorities.
Safety and urgency
Any immediate concern involving self-harm, severe agitation, confusion or inability to remain safe.
A closer clinical view
When physical illness and mental health interact
New confusion, agitation, withdrawal or distress during medical illness should not automatically be labelled as a primary psychiatric disorder. The timing and medical context are central to the assessment.
Delirium and acute change
A sudden or fluctuating change in attention, awareness or behaviour may reflect infection, metabolic disturbance, neurological illness, withdrawal or medicine effects and needs prompt assessment.
Treatment interaction
Recommendations consider current diagnoses, organ function, investigations and possible interactions with medicines prescribed by the medical or surgical team.
Coordinated care
The aim is a practical plan shared with the treating team, addressing distress, decision-making, sleep, behaviour and safety without losing sight of the underlying illness.
How care may help
A treatment plan should make sense in real life.
Care is decided after assessment. Depending on the concern, it may include clear explanations, practical changes, psychotherapy guidance, medication or coordination with another specialist.
Questions people often ask before consulting
Is this service only for hospitalised people?
No. It may help both in hospital and during outpatient care when mental-health symptoms interact with a medical condition or its treatment.
What is delirium?
Delirium is an acute, often fluctuating change in attention and awareness that commonly has an underlying medical, neurological, medication-related or substance-related cause.
Will the psychiatrist coordinate with the treating doctor?
Yes, when clinically appropriate and with necessary consent. Coordination helps align psychiatric recommendations with the medical or surgical treatment plan.
Urgent help: If there is immediate danger, suicidal intent, severe confusion, violent behaviour or inability to remain safe, contact local emergency services or go to the nearest emergency department.