Excited Delirium Syndrome
Excited Delirium Syndrome is a medical diagnosis often listed as the cause of death when deaths occur during police encounters. Described as a state of anxiety, sweating profusely, sporadic behavior, extreme strength, and eventually, death, the theory claims that people can get so excited in this state that their heart just stops on its own accord and is also believed to be related to the ingestion of drugs (Jesús, 2024). It's been cited as the cause of death in many deaths involving police, however it has been disproportionately used to explain police related deaths of Black and Brown people and was originally cited for the death of George Floyd, who was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer (Physicians for Human Rights, 2022). While the syndrome has been used to explain the deaths of countless people at the hands of police, it has no legitimate medical backing (Jesús, 2024). It is still used to this day by countless police forces, when deaths result often during a physical struggle between someone and a police officer. It is during this struggle that there is the highest risk of dying from Excited Delirium, however due to the lack of medical backing and scientific support it appears that these deaths were likely caused by the police themselves instead of a fictitious syndrome (Physicians for Human Rights, 2022).
History of Excited Delirium
The syndrome was coined by a medical examiner named Charles Wetli, who was a self proclaimed “cult expert” of afro-caribbean religion (Jesus, 2024). The first notable use of the term “Excited Delirium Syndrome” was by Wetli in the 1980’s, citing it as a cause of the mysterious deaths of over a dozen Black women (Foley et al., 2024). He claimed that these women died due to the combination of cocaine use and sex, which led to this state of “Excited Delirium” (Physicians for Human Rights, 2022). While this term has been used as a medical diagnosis for many deaths involving police, it has not been rigorously supported by medical research, and is not an accepted diagnosis by the American Medical Association, as well as countless other medical organizations (2021). This syndrome has been used to cover up the deaths of many people, disproportionately Black and Latino people. Anthropologist Aisha Beliso-De Jesús argues that this illegitimate syndrome is based in racist pseudoscience which stems from colonization, the animalization of African religion, and the overall dehumanization of African and all non-white people (2024).
Excited Delirium and Religion
This mythological and racist syndrome stems from a long history of dehumanizing Black and Brown people, which first began with religion. When European colonizers began to interact with African people, they immediately began to infantilize and animalize them. This primarily began with religion, as colonizers perceived African spiritual traditions as primitive, barbaric, and even animal-like (Sarfo, 2023). This was the first step in a long process of dehumanizing Africans that has continued to this day, as religion was a very powerful mechanism in cultivating a less than human perception of Africans. For the Europeans, it was considered human nature to have religion, as religion was viewed as an intrinsically human behavior. This concept was weaponized, as European colonizers were able to question the humanity of Africans due to their supposed “lack” of religion. Since African religion was viewed as primitive, beast-like, and ultimately inferior, Europeans could then claim their superiority on the basis of religion. Europeans viewed African religion as sub-human, which allowed them to then view Africans themselves as sub-human. This highlights religious scholar Talal Asad’s claim that the powerful or dominating class defines exactly what religion is (1993). If the ruling class, in this case the European colonizers, determines that a certain group of people do not have religion according to the ruling class’ definition, the ruling class can then challenge and reject the humanity of that group. This is exactly what took place between European colonizers and Africans, and has acted as a basis for the centuries of dehumanization of African people that has occurred.
Why It Is Important
I elected to write about Excited Delirium for many reasons. The first is due to its intersection between religion and race, which has been a large focus of my study of religion. I also find this to be a very urgent issue that is very representative of larger struggles occurring in our country and around the world. The use of Excited Delirium is exemplary of the influence that the history of slavery, colonialism, and white supremacy has on police and countless systemic structures in the United States and around the world. In a time where anti-racist ideology and things like critical race theory are concealed, outlawed, and attacked, it is vital that we fight back both with activism, education, and empathy. Echoing Karl Marx, as students and educators we have a responsibility and obligation to understand the world around us, as well as to use that understanding to fight against oppression and fight for justice.