Ask Mary Recently my sister was in the hospital, and she became very confused. She’s normally a pretty sharp lady, but the things she was saying made no sense at all, and she was very agitated. We thought she was going to have to go a nursing home. She has since returned to her usual self, and the doctor says she had delirium. What’s the difference? Will this happen again? -Denise B. Delirium is a sudden, temporary onset of an altered mental state. The length of the episodes can vary from days to weeks. October 4, 2021
