Dementia/Delirium/Depression

Question 1

What is delirium?

Answer 1

a mental state of confusion that is often reversible

Question 2

What is depression?

Answer 2

Depression is a mental disorder that is characterised by extreme low mood that has lasted for a minimum of two weeks

Question 3

What is dementia?

Answer 3

Dementia is a neurological disorder characterised by brain abnormalities and loss of executive function

Question 4

Onset of delirium

Answer 4

sudden - hours to days

Question 5

describe the course of delirium

Answer 5

short and fluctuating

Question 6

the duration of delirium

Answer 6

hours to less than a month

Question 7

activity of someone with delirium - how do they seem?

Answer 7

agitated, restless, hyperactive

hypoactive - sleepy and slow

Question 8

how alert might someone be with delirium

Answer 8

with likely be fluctuating - difficult to converse

Question 9

the mood of someone with delirium

Answer 9

fluctuating

Question 10

thinking of someone with delirium

Answer 10

disorganised

Question 11

perception of someone with delirium

Answer 11

distorted - hallucinations and delusions

Question 12

Patient just out surgery, alertness fluctuating, distorted erception and agitated

Answer 12

hyperactive delirium

Question 13

How to assess someone with altered cognitive function and query delirium

Answer 13

The 4AT

Question 14

Onset of dementia

Answer 14

slow and insidious - months/years

Question 15

the course of dementia

Answer 15

progressive

Question 16

duration of dementia

Answer 16

months to years

Question 17

activity of dementia

Answer 17

wandering, agitated

Question 18

alertness of dementia

Answer 18

normal

Question 19

attention of dementia

Answer 19

normal

Question 20

mood of dementia

Answer 20

low mood may be present

Question 21

thinking in dementia

Answer 21

word-finding difficult

Question 22

perception in people with dementia

Answer 22

usually normal in early stages apart from lewy-body

Question 23

someone been suffering from personality changes the last 6 months and has begun to show signs of antegrade amnesia
finding words difficult and has been getting worse

Answer 23

dementia

Question 24

the onset of depression

Answer 24

abrupt with life changes

- maybe an environmental stimulus

Question 25

course of depression

Answer 25

usually sings of diurinal variation with it being worse in the morning

Question 26

duration of depression

Answer 26

at least 2 weeks

Question 27

how might someone seem with depression

Answer 27

withdrawn, apathy

Question 28

alertness of someone with depression

Answer 28

normal

Question 29

a person who has normal attention but poor concentration

Answer 29

depression

Question 30

duration of 2 weeks

Answer 30

depression

Question 31

short and fluctuating course of symptoms

Answer 31

delirium

Question 32

someone who is agitated and wandering, and word-finding difficulties

Answer 32

dementia

Question 33

onset of hours to days

Answer 33

delirium

Question 34

mood of someone depressed

Answer 34

depressed, lack of interest, biological symptoms

Question 35

thinking of someone depressed

Answer 35

slow and depressive in theme

Question 36

the perception of someone depressed

Answer 36

intact - can get delusions and hallucinations in severe cases

Question 37

Tx for depression

Answer 37

SSRI / talking therapies if moderate/severe

Question 38

what investigation tool is used in depression

Answer 38

ICD-10

DSM-IV - for chronic depression

Question 39

delirium Ix

Answer 39

use the 4AT

then futher Ix based on Hx and likely cause

Question 40

Tx for delirium

Answer 40

environmental
cause
later consider haloperidol