ICU delirium has had several causes put forward, all or any of them as likely to be the cause as any other. Drugs, sensory deprivation, stress, pain, sleep disturbance, all these things play a part. The result is hallucinations, personality changes, fantastic imagery.
ICU staff sees it all the time, so it's no big deal to them, but to a family member who is suddenly being told about murder plots, wild fantasies, or having their sweet grandmother curse them in perfect four letter fluency it can be...unsettling. More soon. I will give you a preview by saying that I spent part of my time reciting the Lord of the Rings verbatim, although I'm not sure what started that one going, and at one point I was a pirate, doing my best Jack Sparrow and trying to stab Dawn with my suction tube...
