‘Excited delirium’ faces growing criticism as cause of death in police custody

A controversial syndrome which has been used to describe deaths in police custody is facing increasing scrutiny in the United States. Excited delirium, characterised by US researchers as "agitation, aggression, acute distress and sudden death often in the pre-hospital care setting", is typically associated with the use of drugs, and is cited in deaths involving police restraint.

Speaking to KTVU Fox 2, Dr Michael Freeman, a forensic medicine and epidemiology consultant, said: "There is really no good evidence that excited delirium exists". The World Health Organisation, American Medical Association and American Psychiatric Association all reject the syndrome as a diagnosis.