Block 33 Week 1 Flashcards
Anxiety and Depression
performance vs arousal curve
physical symptoms of anxiety - muscle tension?
headaches, pain, fatigue
physical Sx of anxiety - hyperventilation?
dizziness, tingling fingers + toes (¯pCO2 ® Ca2+ changes)
physical symptoms of anxiety - sympathetic overactivity?
(HR +BP, ectopic beats, sweating, pale skin (cf shock), dry mouth, ‘butterflies’, nausea, loose motions, frequent urination)
psychological symptoms of anxiety?
- CNS: poor conc., memory, feeling unreal
- Mood: fear, panic, worry, on edge, irritable
thoughts in anxiety?
- future danger: “something bad will happen and I won’t be able to cope” (v. depression: past loss)
- Fear of dying/losing control
- Worry about worry: I will go mad/die just by worrying
Anxiety: unhelpful behaviours?
- attempts at coping: (caffeine, smoking, alcohol, illegal or prescribed drugs)
- avoiding fear provoking situations
- safety behaviours
- asking for reassurance (visiting GP, somatic complaints, checking body)
prevalence of anxiety disorders?
- anxiety disorders affect at least 1 in 10 ppl
Anxiety screening tool?
- GAD-2
- anxiety disorder is likely if a person answers 2 or 3 to one or both Qs (ie anxiety present > 50% time)
History taking for anxiety?
- triggers and situations
- thoughts - worst fears
- emotions
- physical reactions
- behaviours - before/ during/ after
- coping - avoiding, substance use, safety seeking behaviours
free floating anxiety classifications?
- If free floating, present from time to time (panic) or all the time (generalised anxiety)
anxiety: the worry tree
investigations for anxiety?
- TFTs - hypothyroidism
- MCV/GGT - alcohol misuse
- glucose - hypoglycaemia
other investigations that can be done for anxiety?
- urine - illicit drug use
- ECGs (SVT/ MVP)
- MRI head (SOL)
- EEG (TEL)
psychological Ix for anxiety?
- GAD-7 for anxiety
- PHQ-9 for depression
Tx fir anxiety?
- education
- relaxation
- advice on sleep and exercise
what is CBT?
- psychological treatment that teaches us how to feel better by changing the way we feel think and behave = change behaviour (eg graded exposure) and/ or change thinking (eg anxiety is unpleasant but not dangerous)
Pharmacological Tx of anxiety (3)
- SSRI antidepressants eg sertraline, citalopram
- Benzodiazepines eg diazepam (max 2-4wks)
- Beta-blockers eg propranolol
what is a phobia?
- A marked and persistent fear
- Triggered by a specific object/situation
- Leads to avoidance of that situation
agoraphobia?
(public places, crowds, shops) 6% 1 yr prevalence in population
social phobia?
(eating, speaking, performing) 4%
specific phobias?
(animals, heights, needles) 9%
maintenance of a phobia?
- phobic stimulus -> anxiety -> avoidance -> anxiety reduced
Tx of phobias - graded exposure?
graded exposure (systematic desensitisation) = the deliberate confrontation of a feared object or situation until the anxiety evoked reduces (habituates)
Graded exposure needs to be:
- clearly planned - SMART targets
- prolonged
- repeated freq
- graded e.g. ladder or steps
- w/o dissociation
how can graded exposure be done?
- Done in CBT session, then as homework
- Self-directed, or accompanied by therapist, friend or relative
- In reality or imagination (eg PTSD/trauma)
graded exposure can be gradual or?
one-off prolonged (‘flooding’)
what is systematic desensitisation?
graded exposure plus relaxation
CBT for generalised exposure - behavioural?
- behavioural: anx management
CBT for generalised exposure - cognitive?
- cognitive: tackle worry about worry
- Test out unhelpful beliefs about worry eg ‘worry helps me solve problems’
CBT for generalised exposure - mindfulness?
- Mindfulness: awareness plus acceptance
mindfulness -
- Purposeful and non-judgemental attentiveness to one’s own experience, thoughts and feelings
- letting it be
- focusing on present moment > distressing thoughts
- notice
CBT for panic: summary
- Education: anxiety is normal, fight or flight
- Draw a vicious circle (diagram with arrows)
- Exposure to own body sensation
- Experiments: test out fears to disprove them
Clark’s CBT model for panic attacks?
- The trigger can be external (eg crowds) or internal (eg heartbeat) – ‘selective attention’/ ‘hypervigilence’
- The person misinterprets normal body sensations as meaning that a physical or mental disaster is imminent – ‘catastrophic misinterpretation’
- The ‘fight or flight’ survival response produces more symptoms - which fuel the ‘vicious cycle’ of panic
- attempts by the person to manage panic bring short term relief but make it worse in the long term (avoidance + safety behaviours)
panic diaries include?
- situation
- worst symptoms
- worst dears
- safety behaviours
- alt explanation
- behavioural experiment - nexttime it occurs
- predictons
- outcome
what are anxiety disorders?
- excessive anxiety - exaggeration of the normal anxiety response
- out of proportion to stimulus
- anxiety is prolonged after stimulus removed and does not assist in dealing w the situation
Classification of anxiety disorders?
- GAD
- Panic disorder
- Phobic anxiety disorders: social phobia, simple phobia, agoraphobia
GAD =
- anx symptoms persistent but may fluctuate in intensity, not situation specific
GAD symptoms?
- sleep disturbance
- worrying
- feeling on edge
- irritability
- poor conc
- autonomic symptoms - palpations, sweating, dry mouth
- inc muscular tension giving rise to head, neck and backaches
epidemiology of GAD?
- 1 year prev - 3%
- F >M
DDs for GAD
RF for GAD?
- Genetic
- biological mechanisms - breakdown of the mechanisms
- personality traits - neuroticism
- childhood adversity - especially when lack of secure attachments
- stressful life events
Panic disorder?
- panic attacks often occur w other disorders e.g. GAD, agarophobia, depressive disorders
- the anxiety is unrelated to any paticular circumstances so is unpredictable
what are panic attacks?
- characterised by sudden onset of symptoms, reaching a peak within 10 mins
panic attacks - depersonalisation vs derealisation?
- depersonalisation = patient feels detached from their surroundings, feel unable to feel emotions - out of body experiences
- derealisation = surrounds don’t seem real
symptoms of a panic attack?
- sweating, hot flushes
- SOB
- paraesthesia
- dizziness
- choking
- chest pain, palpations
prevalence of panic attacks?
- 1.4% 1 year prevalence
phobic anxiety disorders?
- intermittent episodes of anxiety occuring in spec circumstances
- anxiety out of prop to threat
- can lead to anticipatory anxiety and habitual avoidance of the circumstances
Specific/ simple phobias?
- fear of spiders e.g.
- onset in childhood usually
- 1 yr prev ~4%
social phobias?
- fear of performance failure and negative evaluation in social situations
- onset in teenage years usually
- 1 yr prev 7% which reduces in adults
agoraphobias?
- symptoms provoked by being away from home, in situations which can’t be left easily such as crowded or confined spaces e.g. supermarkets, cinemas
- in severe cases ppt may be housebound
agoraphobias - onset is usually before?
35
agoraphobia - 1 yr prev is double in?
females
aetiology of agoraphobia?
- ppts often constitutionally vulnerable to anxiety symptoms which they may exp and misinterpret in certain situations
- conditioning and avoidance maintain the symptoms as can the response of family members
RF for agoraphobias?
- Genetics
- personality traits e.g. dependent personality traits
- learning theories - conditioning and avoidance
- family influences e.g. overprotective
OCD prevalence?
- 1 yr prev = 2%
- F =M
OCD - mechanism?
- Obsession can be a thought, impulse or action
- there is a sense of complusion associated with it
- it is resisted leading to anxiety
- it’s recognised as nonsensical and is recognised as coming from within the patient
Types of obsessional phenomena - thoughts and impulses?
- thoughts - e.g. single words, usually unpleasant
- impulses - or urges to perform violent or embarassing acts
types of obsessional phenomena - ruminations and rituals?
- ruminations - endless internal debates abt trivial problems
- rituals - counting or cleaning, checking
brain disorders linked to OCD?
encephalitis lethargica, Gille de la Tourette syndrome
PTSD?
- severe reaction to extremely stressful circumstances
core features of PTSD?
- hyper-arousal
- re-experiencing aspects of the stress e.g. flashbacks, dreams, thoughts
- avoidance of reminders
What are adjustment disorders?
- reaction to stressful experience which is understandanle and in prop e.g. divorce
- symptoms can be v variable but can include many anxiety symptoms
- worries usually focused on the stressor
Mixed anxiety and depressive disorder ?
- symptoms of both equally present
- neither dominates
- neither symptoms severe enough to meet criteria for an anxiety or a depressive disorder
Tx of anxiety?
- psychological treatments are the treatment of choice
- include counselling, CBT
specific psychological technique for phobias?
exposure therapy
spec technique for obsessional phenomena?
thought stopping
pharmacological management of anxiety?
- antidepressants - anxiolytic affects used for GAD and panic attacks
- BBs useful for palpations and tremor from anxiety
precipitating factors in GAD?
Stressful life events eg relationship problems, physical illness, threatened loss of employment (contrast losses - which tend to provoke depression)
Maintaining factors in GAD?
- CBT theory states that in GAD worrying abour worry maintains anxiety and leads to unsuccessful attempts to control it
mechanism of phobias - natural selection?
- phobias are acquired not innate
- Evolutionary theory suggests that increased likelihood of fear towards certain objects (snakes, spiders, being alone, the dark) conferred a survival advantage to our ancestors, leading to natural selection
the double learning theory suggests a 2 stage acquisition of fears:
1 - pavlovian conditioning
2 - maintained by operant conditioning
pavlovian conditioning?
- initial acquisition of a phobia
- (association of a conditioned with unconditioned response) eg lost and anxious when out walking as a child and see a cat leading to cat phobia
operant conditoning?
- maintains the phobia
- Contact with cats causes anxiety (punishment) leading to less contact, plus avoidance of all cats brings reward of no anxiety (= negative reinforcement).
step 1 of the CBT model of panic disorders?
- catastrophic misinterpretation of body systems
- panic occurs and is maintained by an inappropriately learned response to normal physiological symptoms (eg palpitations)
step 2 in the CBT model of panic disorders?
Selective attention to body symptoms and avoidance of anxiety provoking situations also reinforces behaviour.
OCD presentation in males?
- earlier onset
- clinical themes: exactness, sexual, odd rituals, symmetry
- asosicated with increased rates of bipolar disorder
OCD presentation in females?
- later onset
- more aggressive obsessions and cleaning compulsions
- associated with increased rates of panic disorder
biochemistry behind OCD
psychodynamic theory of OCD - Freud?
- OCD represents defensive regression to anal stage
- (defensive triad of orderliness, obstinacy and parsimony ie stinginess).
- utilisation of defence mechanisms
defence mechanisms in OCD - reaction formation?
- Reaction formation = feeling or behaving in a way which is opposite of unconscious unacceptable impulses (eg excessive prudery if increased sex drive)
defence mechanisms in OCD - undoing?
attempting to cause past thoughts not to have occurred
defence mechanisms in OCD - isolation?
separation of an idea from its associated affect
precipitating factors in OCD?
environmental stress especially life events indicating increased responsibility
maintaining factors of OCD - behavioural theory?
- rituals (checking, cleaning etc),
- avoidance and reassurance seeking produce short-term relief from anxiety symptoms but cause long-term worsening of problems (negative reinforcement of behaviour, operant conditioning)
maintenance of OCD - cognitive theory?
- states that OCD kept going by exaggerated appraisal of threat, assuming excessive responsibility for consequences, and attempts to suppress recurrent worrying thoughts
Managament of OCD?
- Offer info, education, self help and support groups
- involve family/carers (drop reassurance/safety seeking), involve religious or community leaders (if OCD/culture boundary unclear)
- involves a stepped care model
secondary/ specialist care for OCD?
- only gets involved if comorbitidy. severe or treatment resistant cases
mild OCD (functional impairment)?
CBT (under 10 therapist hrs) using individual, phone, structured self help or group approach
moderate OCD Tx?
1) Offer either any SSRI or CBT (over 10 therapist hrs): both equally effective
2) Increase dose after 4-6 weeks if no response
moderate OCD - review for?
- 12 months and then discharge back to PC if well
- Teach individual to adapt techniques learned to new symptoms
severe OCD first line?
1) Offer SSRI and CBT in combination
severe OCD - if no response after 12 weeks offer?
2) No response after 12 wks (or patient not engaged): different SSRI, and then/or
3) Clomipramine up to BNF max (+ECG+BP if significant CVS disease)
step 4 in the management of severe OCD?
Refer to “Specialist multidisciplinary team with expertise in OCD/BDD” whose roles are to: advise, assess, treat, educate + increase skills of other professionals
OCD in children and younger ppl?
- more emphasis on age approproate family, indiv and group interventions
- recommends CBT first line 12 weeks for all OCD even if severe
- then consider adding SSRI
body dysmorphic disorder Tx pathway?
- same as OCD (CBT/SSRI, stepped care, specialist teams) but
- fluoxetine is the first choice drug 1)
- then other SSRIs then try adding in buspirone.
Acute stress reaction includes?
- Includes crisis reaction
- e.g.s accident, battle, criminal assult, domestic fire
- onset - immediate or within minutes vs within 6 months for PTSD usually
duration of acute stress reactions?
- duration 0-72 hrs, PTSD is over 1 month - lifelong
symptom clusters in PTSD?
Traumatic event + the RAHR symptom clusters
RAH + Reaction mneumonic?
- Re-experiencing
- Avoidance
- Hyperarousal
- Reaction - altered cognitions and mood
PTSD - re-experiencing?
- thoughts, dreams, flashbacks
- dissociative reactions - derealisation, depersonalisation, losing conciousness
- distress or reactivity when exposed to traumatic reminders