Delirium (Del) is an emergency in psychiatry, which can occur after long-term alcohol use (abusus) or after surgical procedures and being fostered by deprivation of interpersonal and social stimulation.

To prove incidence of socio-demographic and psychopathological differences in patients with delirium (alcohol withdrawal-AWDel and postoperative-PODel genesis).

150 subjects with delirium have been divided into two groups: AWDel (N = 75) and PODel (N = 75) and examined in multicentric, longitudinal and prospective study conducted in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the two-year follow-up period (2008 – 2010). Following instruments were used: ICD-10 Criteria, EPQ, BAI, HDRS and MMSE followed with descriptive and analytical statistical processing of patients (α-level: 0.05 with 95% reliability).

Socio-demographic: AWDel patients are unemployed, divorced with abusus of alcoholic drinks, while PODel subjects are the elderly with acute stress. EPQ test in AWDel group indicates pronounced psychoticism opposite to neuroticism in PODel group, while total HDRS and MMSE scores are pathologically significant in group of participants with AWDel.

Sociodemographic differences between alcohol whithdrawal delirium and postoperative delirium vary in duration, age and family status. Also, there are differences in psychopathological characteristics considering the level of cognitive impairment, as well as the diversity of psychopathological characteristics of both types of delirium. Therefore delirious condition in both group require intensive care and multidisciplinary approach.