Doctors’ Group Withdraws Support for Paper on “Excited Delirium”

A prominent doctors group has officially withdrawn its approval of a 2009 paper on “excited delirium,” a document that has been criticized for justifying excessive force by police. The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) released a statement stating that the paper is outdated and that the term “excited delirium” should no longer be used by its members when testifying in civil or criminal cases. The ACEP directors made this decision during a meeting in Philadelphia.

Dr. Brooks Walsh, a Connecticut emergency doctor, stated that this withdrawal means that if someone dies while being restrained in custody, excited delirium cannot be used as a reason and the ACEP’s endorsement of the concept cannot be used to support a case. This move comes after California became the first state to prohibit the use of excited delirium as a cause of death in autopsies and police reports.

Other medical groups, including the National Association of Medical Examiners and the American Medical Association, have also rejected excited delirium as a valid diagnosis. Critics argue that the term is unscientific and has racist undertones.

The 2009 report by emergency physicians described excited delirium as a condition characterized by unusual strength, pain tolerance, and bizarre behavior, and labeled it as potentially life-threatening. However, this report has been accused of perpetuating racial stereotypes.

The paper has had significant influence on police training and has often been cited in cases of police custody deaths, particularly those involving Black men. Lawyers defending police officers have used the paper to admit testimony on excited delirium. In recent high-profile cases such as the death of George Floyd and the ongoing trials of officers involved in the deaths of Elijah McClain and Manuel Ellis, excited delirium has resurfaced as a controversial topic.

The ACEP had previously distanced itself from the term, but it had not fully withdrawn its support for the 2009 paper. The organization’s decision to disavow the paper is seen as a significant step towards breaking ties with the controversy surrounding excited delirium.

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