Which condition involves acute onset of hallucinations and disorientation?

Delirium is characterized by an acute onset of confusion, disorientation, and often hallucinations. This condition typically arises suddenly, frequently as a response to an identifiable medical issue such as infection, substance intoxication or withdrawal, or metabolic imbalances.

Patients may exhibit fluctuating levels of consciousness, which can lead to significant variability in attention and cognitive function. Hallucinations in delirium can be visual or auditory, and individuals may not be aware that their perceptions are not real. The acute nature of these symptoms, alongside the disorientation, distinguishes delirium from other psychiatric conditions.

Dissociative amnesia primarily involves memory loss related to traumatic or stressful events, without the accompanying disorientation or hallucinations. Pseudodementia presents with cognitive difficulties that are often reversible with treatment of underlying depression, but it does not typically include acute hallucinations. Personality disorders involve deeply ingrained patterns of behavior and traits that affect interpersonal functioning but do not present with the acute confusion characteristic of delirium.