Excited Delirium and Stun Gun Usage

In Alberta, Canada, Royal Mounted Police (RMP) are receiving training to recognize the symptoms of "excited delirium," a controversial condition that has been linked to the deaths of small percentage of people who have died after being zapped with a stun gun. Canadian officials are encouraging this training, not because they are hoping to teach their officers how to diagnose someone in excited delirium, but rather to recognize the signs and symptoms because it is a medical emergency and those suffering from an episode need immediate medical treatment.

Excited delirium has long been a controversial term used to explain the deaths of people while in police custody, but it has no formal medical acknowledgement. The condition's chief symptoms are paranoia, extreme agitation, hostility towards inanimate objects or people, and incoherent speech. People suffering from excited delirium experience a rapid jump in body temperature as well as display super-human strength and endurance, paired with an extremely high pain tolerance.

This condition usually occurs in people who have used drugs or alcohol, or have a mental illness; but can also appear in people under unusual stress levels or experiencing sleep deprivation. Excited delirium can lead to sudden death because the victim’s heart rate speeds up rapidly to compensate for the stress their body is undergoing. Eventually leading the person's heart and respiratory systems to shut down.

RCMP officials report that their officers are taught that individuals experiencing excited delirium are in a life-threatening medical emergency and must be taken into custody as quickly as possible so they can be transported to hospital for treatment. A stun gun or Taser can quickly disarm the individual so they can be handcuffed and taken for emergency care, which is important because, before they can receive medical treatment, they must be properly restrained.

Receiving proper training in both stun gun use and the recognition of the symptoms associated with excited delirium, RCMP officials believe will yield fewer stun gun related injuries and deaths.