Delirium, catatonia and substance withdrawal syndrome manifested as psychomotor agitation in COVID-19: a pharmacological management approach for the general hospital setting

Abstract

Neuropsychiatric symptoms can be part of the clinical spectrum of COVID-19 infections. To devise an evidence based clinical algorithm as a guide for clinicians, to identify and treat underlying clinical syndromes of psychomotor agitation, such as delirium, catatonia or substance withdrawal in patients who are hospitalized and infected with SARS-CoV-2. A review of the literature about the pharmacological management of neuropsychiatric manifestations of COVID-19 at the general hospital, to develop a clinical protocol based on a consensus from an interdisciplinary expert panel at a Clinical Hospital. A consensual clinical algorithm for the management of delirium, catatonia, and substance withdrawal, manifested as psychomotor agitation in patients hospitalized with COVID-19, was developed as a clinical proposal for physicians at different levels of complexity in health services. Cooperation among different clinical units in the general hospital facilitated the implementation of a clinical algorithm for clinicians for the management of psychomotor agitation in COVID-19 patients.