NCLEX-RN Delirium, Dementia, Depression Cheat Sheet (Free Printable)

Delirium, dementia, and depression overlap on the floor and on the NCLEX-RN, and telling them apart is exactly what the cheat sheet embedded below teaches. Three lanes sit side by side: delirium, the acute behavior change where you hunt the reversible cause now; dementia, the chronic decline managed with a consistent routine and calm redirection; and depression, the mood disorder where you screen directly for self-harm.

The exam tests this because the presentations collide - delirium can be superimposed on dementia, depression can mimic dementia, and each condition calls for a different response. The sheet is built around one question: which one is the emergency? The red delirium lane answers it: sudden onset over hours to days, a course that fluctuates by the hour, greatly impaired attention, often abnormal vitals, and a cause you treat now because delirium is usually reversible. To use the sheet, match your patient to a lane, check onset, vitals, and course, then review the traps - benzodiazepines and anticholinergics that worsen cognition, pseudodementia, and reversible mimics like hypothyroidism and B12 deficiency. It is an educational summary only: assess the patient and follow facility protocol and provider orders.

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Educational summary only - assess the patient and follow facility protocol and provider orders.

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