California Takes Historic Step: Bans 'Excited Delirium' Diagnosis, Setting Precedent for Other States
California has become the first state to ban the controversial diagnosis of "excited delirium," which has often been used to justify excessive force by police. The new law prohibits medical professionals from attributing deaths to excited delirium on death certificates or autopsy reports, and law enforcement is barred from using the term in incident reports or civil court testimony. The term has been discredited by several national medical associations, including the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association, who note its disproportionate application to Black men in police custody. The move is seen as a significant step towards holding police accountable for excessive force and addressing systemic issues in the criminal justice system.