Disputed terms ‘deflects attention’ in deaths following police restraint

4WardEverUK • 6 April 2024

source: The Justice Gap

published: 19 March 2024

Image Credit: Peter Marshall - www.flickr.com/photos/petermarshall


recent investigation by the Observer has revealed widespread use of disputed medical terms, ‘Acute Behavioural Disturbance’ (ABD) and ‘Excited Delirium,’ in explaining deaths following police restraint incidents in the UK. [See ‘Outdated and offensive’: police in England and Wales barred from blaming restraint deaths on ‘excited delirium’ ]


Further concerns have been raised about the disproportionate application of these terms to black individuals, exacerbating existing inequalities in the use of coercive measures.

Despite being rooted in pseudoscience and rejected by medical experts, these terms continue to be employed by authorities, raising concerns among campaigners who argue they perpetuate racial stereotypes and obscure police accountability.

ABD and excited delirium are often used interchangeably to describe individuals exhibiting agitation or bizarre behaviour, often attributed to mental illness or drug use. Symptoms include insensitivity to pain, aggression, and elevated heart rate.


While authorities claim these terms aid in identifying individuals in need of medical assistance, critics argue they serve to deflect attention from police actions and responsibilities in restraint-related deaths.


Read the full article >

share this article on social media

Mumia Abu-Jamal
by 4WardEverUK 26 April 2025
On March 26, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court denied political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal permission to appeal a September 2024 denial of his latest petition to reverse his conviction.
John Charles de Menezes
by 4WardEverUK 26 April 2025
The mother of a man shot dead by police in a London Underground station after being mistaken for a terrorist has said “everyone should watch” a new dramatisation of her son’s killing.
Armed police officer
by 4WardEverUK 26 April 2025
New rules giving anonymity to firearms officers accused of murder put police above the scrutiny faced by the rest of the public, the head of the charity Inquest has warned.
Evidence police line
by 4WardEverUK 20 April 2025
A significant step by SA's legal system in confronting the atrocities of its past. A judge approved the trial of police officers for their involvement in the 1982 assassination of three activists.
Palestine protesters
by 4WardEverUK 20 April 2025
Protests in West Yorkshire and elsewhere have mobilised against the Teledyne arms factory. Palestine solidarity rallies and marches took place across Britain in a national day of action.
Police gun in holster
by 4WardEverUK 19 April 2025
South Carolina executed Mikal Mahdi by firing squad on 11 April. Mahdi had been convicted and sentenced for the 2004 killing of an off-duty law enforcement officer, and others followed.
More Articles