The Latin term agitatĭo came to Castilian as agitation. It is about the act and the consequence of shaking (moving something violently and frequently, generating an alteration of the mood).
For example: “By subjecting the liquid to a shaking of several seconds, we will cause bubbles to form on its surface”, “The president’s words caused a state of turmoil in the crowd”, “The shaking of the sea is a product of the wind”.
Based on Digopaul, agitation can occur in different settings. To prepare a cocktail, it is common for the person to shake the contents of a container so that the ingredients are mixed. For the preparation of the martini, to name a possibility, you have to place gin and a stream of vermouth in a cocktail shaker. After a brief stirring, the cocktail can now be served. Normally, the glass is decorated with an olive.
Certain musical instruments, such as maracas and jingle bells, require agitation to produce sound. Whoever wants to play these instruments must shake them hard.
For psychology, agitation is a disturbance of the mood that causes hyperactivity in the body: “Prey to agitation, the woman began to run and scream. ”
From a clinical point of view, agitation can be defined as a state of excitement or extreme emotion, which generates unpleasant sensations in the subject, such as irritability, confusion and tension. In this context, agitation can have various characteristics; for example, sometimes it appears spontaneously, unrelated to any health disorder, while others may be an indication of a underlying problem, and in these cases more symptoms are usually evident.
A clear example of a picture in which agitation tells us about a more serious disorder is one in which it is combined with an alteration of consciousness, that is, when it is accompanied by a modification of the subject’s mental alertness; When this happens, we may be dealing with a case of delirium, a confusion disorder that must be properly diagnosed and treated by a doctor.
In addition to delirium, it is also possible to find agitation in the company of other diseases and problems in the brain, such as depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, Alzheimer’s disease and mania.
Regarding the causes of agitation in humans, the possibilities are many, such as the following:
* in the case of alcohol or drug use (such as marijuana, cocaine, opiates, PCP or hallucinogens), abstinence or poisoning;
* various allergic reactions;
* excessive caffeine consumption that causes intoxication;
* nephropathy, liver disease, lung disease or heart disease, in some of its forms;
* admission to a hospital, especially in older people;
* exposure to certain medications, including steroids, amphetamines, and theophylline.
Knowing the causes of a picture of agitation is very important, since it often leads to serious forms of violence, both towards third parties and against the patient himself; for example, it can increase the risk of suicide. To reduce and control agitation, it is necessary that the subject is in a calm environment, without disturbing noises, with adequate lighting for their activities and that they sleep the recommended number of hours for their age and rhythm of life.
The social unrest, moreover, relates to a shock that is recorded in the society. Such agitation may be incited by certain groups to provoke a change of government. In this framework, the United States promoted social unrest in Cuba for many years with the intention of generating the fall of the communist regime, through the use of political propaganda, financing opposition groups, etc.