Pubdate: Wed, 14 May 2008 Source: Mayerthorpe Freelancer (CN AB) Copyright: 2008 The Freelancer Contact: http://www.mayerthorpefreelancer.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/733 Author: Melissa Hamelin Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/excited+delirium (excited delirium) RCMP FACING A NEW DRUG INDUCED THREAT Their perpetrator is sweaty, making animal noises and likely to either run or become violent. They are not carrying a weapon or likely to get behind the wheel, but they are an RCMP officers worst nightmare. Excited delirium is defined as "a state of extreme mental and physiological excitement, characterized by extreme agitation, hyperthermia, hostility, exceptional strength and endurance without apparent fatigue, a condition that many RCMP officers across the country are facing when a believed combination of an unknown mental state and heavy drugs that can cause individuals to become delirious, violent, and dangerous. Constable James Murray, with the Mayerthorpe RCMP, spoke on this topic to members of the Lac Ste. Anne Rural Crime Watch, as well as members of his own detachment. "We are seeing this more in the cities because of the variety of drugs...it is mainly occurring in the cities at this point, but my reason for bringing this up to members is to let them know that this is occurring and this could be something that they could be facing in this area," he explained, adding that because of the drug volume and the presence in our area, this could be something that we RCMP could see in the future. Murray explained that a lot of research is being done to understand this new issue and that it is not known what causes this state, but it is believed to be large quantities of hard drugs, possibly in combination with each other. "From a police perspective, this is the nightmare that we are seeing because of the different types of drugs that are out there and the combinations," Murray explained. "People are not just using the marijuana anymore. What [drug dealers] are starting to do is lace the marijuana joints with crack," Murray said, explaining that because crack is more addictive, dealers will put it in with the marijuana so that their 'clients' will ingest it unknowingly. "In return, after [the client] has tried it, they have that taste, they have that addiction and the dealer will say, 'hey do you want to buy some crack now?" Murray gave an example of a break and enter case in the United States to illustrate this condition. In this scenario, a gentleman was trying to break into a barbershop. The suspect had removed his clothes, was sweating profusely, had been shot twice in the arm by the owner, and it still took 12 officers to bring him down. The suspect was so out of it during the incident that he reportedly kept shouting to police, 'put it in the bag.' "When the police come on scene, it is the 'fight or flight syndrome' where (the suspect) will either want to fight with you physically or they will want nothing to do with you and run away." Murray explained. People with this condition have more than a possible criminal record to worry about. "When these people are at this level of excitement...they go from an extreme high, they eventually get restrained by the police and nine times out of 10 what ends up happening is that their body starts to relax, their heart rate goes down and they die," Murray explained. Although the many deaths of persons while in police custody have been a cause for much controversy, according to the Vancouver Sun, RCMP have been directed to first call an ambulance before they administer any use of a taser. According to Murray, the use of a taser is ineffective on these individuals, "It doesn't work right off the bat. There has been cases where a gentlemen was under this type of excitement and was tasered on repeated occasions without affect," he said. If you encounter someone that you think has excited delirium: .Keep your distance .Lower the lights if possible .Slow your speech, lower your voice .Slow your movements .Keep your hands visible .Keep the person talking .Create distance slowly Signs of excited delirium: . Subject's actions are bizarre, illogical and possibly violent .Subject may remove their clothing, may be sweating profusely, hot to touch .Head may be tilted back, eyes slightly shut . May display rigorous resistance or flight behavior . Unintelligible speech, animal sounds - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom