A doctors group calls its 'excited delirium' paper outdated and withdraws its approval

[Eugene]

Earlier DU threads:
• Police blame some deaths on 'excited delirium.' ER docs consider pulling the plug on the term
• California becomes first state to ban use of 'excited delirium' as cause of death

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Source: Associated Press

A doctors group calls its ‘excited delirium’ paper outdated and withdraws its approval

BY CARLA K. JOHNSON
Updated 5:20 PM EDT, October 12, 2023

A leading doctors group on Thursday formally withdrew its approval of a 2009 paper on “excited delirium,” a document that critics say has been used to justify excessive force by police.

The American College of Emergency Physicians in a statement called the paper outdated and said the term excited delirium should not be used by members who testify in civil or criminal cases. The group’s directors voted on the matter Thursday in Philadelphia.

“This means if someone dies while being restrained in custody ... people can’t point to excited delirium as the reason and can’t point to ACEP’s endorsement of the concept to bolster their case,” said Dr. Brooks Walsh, a Connecticut emergency doctor who pushed the organization to strengthen its stance.

-snip-

In March, the National Association of Medical Examiners took a stand against the term, saying it should not be listed as a cause of death. Other medical groups, including the American Medical Association, had previously rejected excited delirium as a diagnosis. Critics have called it unscientific and rooted in racism.

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/excited-delirium-police-deaths-acep-4760e3cbed181503a2ac747ed5afeef6

[Mosby]

1. It wasn't outdated

It was bad science. Like a lot of medical "research".