Radiologic correlates of antidepressant-induced delirium: the possible significance of basal-ganglia lesions

Antidepressant-induced delirium in five of 60 (8%) patients over the age of 45 is reported. In each case, delirium developed within two weeks of beginning the antidepressant and appeared to be completely reversible once the medication was discontinued. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed basal-ganglia lesions in each patient who developed delirium. This finding indicates that patients with basal- ganglia lesions may be more vulnerable to antidepressant-induced delirium and is consistent with recent data from the neurologic and psychiatric literature that implicate the basal ganglia in the development of other types of delirium.