ABSTRACT
Between full consciousness and complete unconsciousness, or coma, there lies a spectrum of severity. In complete coma, the patient cannot be aroused by any stimulus, however vigorous, or by any inner need (for example, hunger). Clearly, there are situations which are not as severe as coma, which now tend to be termed stupor, where the patient appears to be unresponsive, but can be aroused by vigorous or continuous external stimulation. Most neurologists use the terms ‘obtunded’ to suggest a patient who is not in stupor but whose mental faculties appear to be globally reduced, and where arousal is increasingly difficult.
