disorientation

1. Loss of one's sense of direction, position, or relationship with one's surroundings.
2. Mental confusion or impaired awareness, especially regarding place, time, or personal identity.

A mental state characterized by loss of awareness of space, time, or personality. In sport, disorientation can result from dehydration, heat exhaustion, and hypothermia. Individuals who become disorientated during a physical activity often have problems of thermoregulation and they should not continue with the activity. Athletes, especially those who are not highly conditioned, commonly become disorientated at the end of endurance events. Most respond well to a supervised warm-down of slow walking and the administration of oral fluids.

The patient appears to suffer a loss of proper bearings, or a state of mental confusion as to time, place or identity.

• cetacean d. — see pinniped stranding.