aggiehawg, you presciently provided information about excited delirium earlier today during a recess or waiting for it to start.
I remember this coming out when the body cams/transcripts came out several months after the peaceful protests occurred and thinking that was a gamechanger.
Basically, one of the officers, I cant remember which, noted that they needed to subdue the subject because he was worried about "excited delirium, or whatever".
If I recall correctly, he was a newish law enforcement officer (<1 or 2years -- fresh out of training?) which is probably why he knew about excited delirium protocols in the first place and why Chauvin, who had been in law enforcement since 2001 -- 19 years, may or may not have been aware.
The determination of "excited delirium" is extremely contested. It is not a condition that is endorsed or recognized by the WHO, APA, AMA, and is not in DSM IV.
Quote:
Excited delirium is not recognized by the World Health Organization, the American Psychiatric Association, or the American Medical Association, and therefore not listed as a medical condition in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
The UK Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody (IAP) suggests that the syndrome should be termed "Sudden death in restraint syndrome" in order to enhance clarity. Examples of deaths due to the condition are found primarily in restraint or attempted restraint situations, while medical preconditions and symptoms attributed to the syndrome are far more varied.
This actually jives quite well with what the medical examiner said, that he had blockage in his arteries, acute coronary syndrome, COVID19 diagnosis a few weeks earlier, not to mention a (3x more lethal) detection of fentanyl in Mr. Floyds system -- marijuana, Percocet (his friend that fled the scene said so, I believe), and meth in his system.
That's a lot. So its up to the jury to decide whether or not he died from a knee on the neck by Ofc Chauvin -- or the accumulation of acute coronary syndrome, an overdose of fentanyl and its counterindications with meth, maybe Perkys, and what seems like a panic attack that might have made these things worse.
Then, there's this, from the same wikipedia page
Quote:
Treatment initially may include ketamine or midazolam and haloperidol injected into a muscle to sedate the person Rapid cooling may be required in those with high body temperature. Other supportive measures such as intravenous fluids and sodium bicarbonate may be useful. One of the benefits of ketamine is its rapid onset of action The risk of death among those affected is less than 10%. If death occurs it is typically sudden and cardiac in nature. Concern has been raised by some medical professionals about the increasing usage of a claim of excited delirium to justify tranquilizing persons during arrest, with requests for tranquilization often being made by law enforcement rather than medical professionals. Ketamine is the most commonly used drug in these cases.
So a couple things here. If they thought he had excited delirium, which is a condition that is not widely recognized and may actually be a thing, but is recognized by LEO as something that happens....
It sounds like they were waiting for the Bus to get there to give him Ketamine to subdue Mr. Floyd. If you click the Wikipedia link, it shows a picture of someone that was in restraints and the caption reads "An example of physical restraints which may be used until chemical sedation takes effect. -- clearly indicating that its possible that treatment or reaction to encountering an individual experiencing this are the following.
So it leads me to believe that they were trained on what "excited delirium" is, and how to access their training to deal with it...which includes a forced restraint followed by injection of Ketamine, followed by monitoring by medical professionals in a hospital setting.
Quote:
The signs and symptoms for excited delirium may include:
Severe panic or distress, often exhibiting paranoia
Disorientation
Dissociation
Aggressiveness and combativeness
Fast heart rate
Hallucination
Diaphoresis (profuse sweating)
Incoherent speech or shouting
Unexpected strength (typically while trying to resist restraint)
Hyperthermia (overheating)
Inappropriately clothed e.g. having removed garments
I have highlighted some of those that Floyd may have exhibited at the time. It is not all of them, but these might be the most reasonable for a neutral observe to agree with.
So here we go. There was a protocol executed on an individual suspect because he exhibited behaviors of this condition that apparently does not pass muster with any of the governing bodies of psychology or science, the officers - who were trained to deal with this executed what the response should have been, and the man died in custody.
What do we do here? I honestly have no idea.
It's not the severity of the punishment that deters crime; it's the certainty of it.