Depending on who you ask, excited delirium syndrome (ExDS) is either a group of symptoms that warn of a life-threatening medical condition or it is a diagnosis invented by racist and abusive police to excuse murder.1,2 Among those that use the term ExDS, the medical consensus is that ExDS is not a unique disease but...Read More
A new study led by Simon Baldwin1 examined over 10,700 use of force cases and found a significant risk of adverse outcomes in cases involving excited delirium syndrome (ExDS).2 Researchers assumed that an encounter with someone exhibiting probable ExDS might result in adverse outcomes, including greater levels of force and increased risk of injury to...Read More
“I am concerned about excited delirium….” Minneapolis Officer describing George Floyd The recent release of court documents and body-cam footage surrounding George Floyd’s death predictably thrust Excited Delirium Syndrome (ExD) back into the news. Following George Floyd’s death, media outlets had already begun to revive the false, anti-police narrative that ExD is nothing more than...Read More
A new study headed by an Advanced Force Science Specialist finds that an officer who confronts a subject in the throes of excited delirium stands nearly a 90% chance of ending up on the ground in a struggle with potentially serious consequences. The more symptoms of excited delirium a subject exhibits, the greater his likelihood...Read More
Important practical takeaways for officers on how best to deal with subjects in the throes of excited delirium are included in a recently published book on forensic medicine—and well worth roll call review, considering that these volatile encounters are expected to increase in the days ahead. The recommendations stress the critical importance of getting highly...Read More
A lawsuit filed recently in the 9th federal circuit hinges on ADA considerations that may resonate with many agencies. In this case (LaDue v. City of Talent, et al.), a subject with a history of schizophrenia smoked a “synthetic cannabinoid” product and then later died in the throes of excited delirium during a confrontation with...Read More
Preliminary results from a new, ongoing study tend to support a growing trend in the management of dangerous subjects in the throes of Excited Delirium Syndrome (ExDS). The findings should be part of the dialog if you are working on a joint law enforcement/EMS protocol for addressing this perplexing problem, as recommended in Force Science...Read More
A research team led by Force Science faculty member Dr. Christine Hall has brought to light the first reliable statistics in another shadowy and controversial area: the frequency of forceful contact between police and subjects displaying signs of excited delirium syndrome (ExDS). With five associates, Hall, an emergency medicine specialist and ExDS authority based in...Read More
An international panel of experts, including 2 MDs involved in Force Science training, has recommended a 4-step protocol as offering the best hope for a successful outcome when dealing with suspected cases of excited delirium. Already in use by some progressive departments in the US and Canada, the endorsed procedures should serve as “models for...Read More
It’s now official: In a move strongly supportive of law enforcement, a special investigative task force of the American College of Emergency Physicians has formally declared that the violent and sometimes lethal phenomenon known as “excited delirium” really does exist. Some police critics have insisted that ED is nothing more than a convenient concept “manufactured”...Read More
