Chapter 16- Emotional and mood disorders Flashcards
What’s the etiology of clinical depression?
-Characterized by sad or despondent mood
Symptoms of depression
- lack of energy
- sleep disturbances
- abnormal eating patterns
- feelings of despair, guilt, hopelessness
Postpartum depression
Intense mood changes associated with hormonal changes
Seasonal affective disorder
-enhanced release of melatonin due to lower light levels
Psychotic depression
-intense mood shifts; unusual behaviors
Major depressive disorder
-depressed affect plus 5 of the following symptoms for a minimum of 2 weeks
- difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much
- extremely tired; without energy
- vague physical symptoms
- inability to concentrate or make decisions
- feelings of despair, guilt, misery; lack of self worth
- obsession with death
- avoidance of psychosocial or interpersonal reactions
- lack of interest in personal appearance or sex
- delusions or hallucinations
What is the role of the nurse when pt. receiving antidepressants
- ask about alcohol and drug use; suicidal ideation
- obtain family history of depressive illness
- obtain drug history
Education for client receiving antidepressants
- diet education related to foods that contain tyramine
- info on signs and symptoms of dehydration and lithium toxicity
- education on prescribed drug treatment
Tricyclic antidepressants mechanism of action
- decrease reabsorption of norepinephrine and serotonin
- correct the imbalance in the neurotransmitter concentrations at the nerve endings in the CNS
What are tricyclics antidepressants used for?
- major depressive episodes
- panic disorders
- OCDs
Tricyclic drug examples
- elavil
- sinequan
Adverse effects of tricyclics
- dry mouth
- urinary difficulty
- constipation
- blurred vision
- tremors, headache, weight gain, insomnia, photosensitivity, orthostatic hypotension
- overdoses are usually lethal
- dysrhythmias with cardiac arrest
- seizures
Inhibitors(SSRIs)…what do they do?
- selectively inhibit serotonin reuptake into the presynaptic terminals
- this increases amount of serotonin at the nerve endings
Examples of SSRIs
- Prozac
- Paxil
- Zoloft
- celexa
- lexapro
Major advantage of the SSRIs…
Greater safety!
