Excited Delirium, Ketamine, and Deaths in Police Custody.
Psychiatric Services July 2022 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ps.20220204 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Commentary Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Ketamine |
| Topics | Ketamine Esketamine |
| Keywords | Deaths in custody Excited delirium Law and psychiatry Police |
| Key points | Argues that the disputed diagnosis "excited delirium" has been used to explain custody deaths, especially of young Black men, and to exculpate police officers, while also justifying forceful restraint and sedation with ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic with a high rate of respiratory distress; this combination, the authors contend, has led to tragic outcomes. |
Abstract
Excited delirium, a diagnosis not found in the DSM and lacking clear criteria, has been used to explain fatalities of people in police custody, especially deaths of young Black men, and to exculpate police officers from responsibility. The label has also been invoked to justify the forceful restraint and sedation of people who may fail to obey the orders of law enforcement; ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic with potent sedative properties and a high rate of causing respiratory distress, is often used in these situations. This combination of a dubious diagnosis and a medication with serious side effects has set the stage for tragic outcomes.
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Exploring critical psychedelic phenomenology: What Frantz Fanon can teach us about psychedelic therapy for racialized and colonized people Psychedelics August 15, 2026
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