Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder Flashcards
what is the leading cause of disability worldwide, and is a major contributor to the global burden of disease?
depression
what is the purpose of the DSM?
- Original purpose was to collect statistics on mentally ill
- Used for billing
- Communication between providers (“common language”)
7 limitations of the DSM5
- Very long, tedious (~947 pages!)
- Discrete criteria for diagnosing individual disorders when people are more complex
- Pathologizes normal experiences (ex: homosexuality)
- Sx missing from criteria
- Good resource but no replacement for clinical judgment
- A patient does NOT need to perfectly fit DSM criteria in order to receive treatment
- a controversial, ever-changing guide
what sx are missing from the DSM5 criteria for depression?
- Physical symptoms (loss of sex drive, HA, GI problems)
- Motivation
- Tearfulness/emotionality
- Irritability/Anger (seen mostly in men)
how do you respond to a patient when asked “isn’t this normal”
- All DSM disorders are on a spectrum
- “Normal” may need treatment while “abnormal” may not– depends if it is effecting their lives
- Ask open-ended question(s) at beginning of encounter.
- Use SIGECAPS and other questions to gather specific information.
- Use targeted psychosocial questions to determine etiology of mood issues (ex. Fhx, substance abuse?)
- Come up with initial management plan
what is correlated with a high chance of mood disorder?
number of physical symptoms
goals of psychosocial history when assessing for depression?
- Genetics
- Social Hx
- Current circumstances
- Physical stressors
what 3 things in Fhx are strongly associated w/ genetic depression?
- depression
- anxiety
- alcohol abuse
what to ask about to determine if their depression is related to genetics
- Fhx of depression, anxiety, ETOH abuse, bipolar, substance abuse, sucide
- Pts past psych hx
- Determine their BASELINE
Strong genetic component of depression is often tx how?
often a reason for pharmacologic management as a component of treatment
what to ask about to determine if their depression is related to their social history
- family origin- marital status of parents, # siblings, overall experience in family
- Place of birth and subsequent moves
- Issues with friendships or relationships
- Work/education history
- Criminal/legal issues
- Trauma
- Substance Use
how to treat depression with a strong social component
- Multiple stressors can take physical toll (pharmacology) or guide a referral to therapy/support
- Multiple stressors in the past likely need therapy eventually
how to treat medical Issues that mimic or exacerbate psych disorders
tx independently (ex. thyroid, anemia, injury)
what to ask about to determine if their depression is related to a current circumstance
- what brings patient in today for treatment?
- What are the current stressors in his or her life (if any)?
- What support does the patient have?
how to tx depression related to a current circumstance
- Significant stress/issues is indication for psychotherapy (and possibly meds)
- Encourage to get support around specific stressor
DSM5 criteria for treating Persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia)
- Remember rule of 2’s!
1. Depressed mood for most of the day, most days for at least 2 years
2. 2 or more of the following symptoms: appetite issues, sleep issues, low energy/fatigue, low self-esteem, trouble concentrating/making decisions, hopelessness
3. During 2 year period has not been symptom-free for 2 months or more - Can co-occur with Major Depressive Episodes
- *It is a milder depression that lasts most of the time, but it can “dip” down into major depression episodes at times
DSM5 criteria for treating Major depressive disorder
- 5 or more symptoms present for at least 2 weeks:
SIGECAPS + depressed mood or anhedonia - Symptoms cause significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning
- Episode is not due to physiological effects of a substance or another medical condition
- Occurrence is not better explained by other psychiatric disorder (ex. Bipolar)
- There has never been a manic or hypomanic episode
what does SIGECAPS stand for?
- sleep (hypersomnia or insomnia)
- interest (anhedonia)
- guilt (worthlessness, hopelessness, helplessness)
- Energy (high or low/fatigued)
- Concentration (difficulty focusing or making decisions)
- Appetite (changes/weight changes)
- Psychomotor (retardation or agitation)
- Suicidality (thoughts of death or wishing to be dead)
what is considered full remission
2+ months w/o symptoms
initial management plan for a pt with depression
- treat physical sx
- reassurance and education
- therapy or lifestyle modifications
- Meds
- Combo of above
if the patient has a underlying medical condition that has not been treated at all or adequately (and is linked to mood issues), which do you treat first?
the underlying medical issue
what is the connection btwn physical and mental sx?
- there are seratonin receptors else where in the body that can be affected by depression–> can affect the whole body
- education is important!
what is the connection btwn depression and the immune system?
you can feel more depressed when your immune system is ramped up
**depression can precede diagnosis!!
what medical conditions are associated w/ depression
autoimmune disease, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, hepatitis C, stroke, Parkinsons, Alzheimers, MS
If the patient’s symptoms seem expected given his circumstances and likely to resolve on their own, how should you tx
- oftentimes you can educate him about them “negotiate a plan” for next steps
- *F/U is key!!!
*best option for those w/ little or no mental health issues in their hx
examples of circumstances that will likely resole on their own
- baby blues
- grief/loss
- major life changes (even if good)
when is therapy or lifestyle modification not a good option for depression?
- If patient’s mood or cognitive symptoms make it hard to participate (Ie. confused or delusional)
- If sx resolve completely with medication or other treatments
what are lifestyle modifications that can help w/ depression
exercise
sleep
diet
alternative therapies
when is therapy or lifestyle modification an ideal option for depression?
- ideal by itself if sx are mild to moderate and largely due to situation (ex: divorce) AND PMH not significant
- w/ meds if sx are severe, and patient has significant current/past stressors and significant PMH
what is important to consider when you are going to prescribe meds for depression?
- can be used short term for acute situations (sleep meds for grief)
- use different meds for more severe depressions
- pt education/choice is VERY important
what are sx of low serotonin
- emotional aspects
- physical ailments ( GI complaints or migraines)
- anxiety
*more serotonin receptors in GI tract than brain
what is anhedonia
lack of interests
what are sx of low NE
- flat aspects of depression (stunted mood/energy/”blah”)
2. chronic pain
what are sx of low dopamine
- anhedonia (w/o hyperemotional features)
- low energy
- low motivation
- possibly addictive behaviors (porn, gambling, shopping)
*similar to NE
what is the mechanism of action for most anti-depressants
reuptake inhibitors
- don’t increase amount of NT but block the reuptake so more gets taken up by the other neuron
- use the NTs you have more effectively
types of SSRIs by activation level
Highest to lowest
Paxil, Celexa, Lexapro, Zoloft, Prozac
characteristics of prozac (fluoxetine)
- MOST activating souse in pts who are fatigued w/ other SSRIs-be careful w/ anxiety
- LONGEST half-life so takes the longest to start working and longest to get out of system as well
what is the dose regimen for prozac (fluoxetine)
- start w/ 10mg WITH FOOD in AM
- increase by 10mg every 1-2 weeks
- Final dose (20-80mg)
*To stop: taper by 10mg per week
what is the dose regimen for zoloft (sertraline)
- start w/ 25mg
- increase by 25mg a week up to 100mg
- final dose: 100-200mg (25-300mg)
*to stop: taper by 25-50mg every 2-3 weeks (slow is always best)
characteristics of zoloft (sertraline)
- slightly more likely to cause cause GI upset*
- nice dosing flexibility as tablets come in low dose and are easy to split
characteristics of celexa (citalopram)
- Good alternative to zoloft and lexapro
- very INEXPENSIVE
- max dose is 40mg due to possible QT prolongation
when should you instruct a patient to take celexa (citalopram)
am or pm WITH FOOD
characteristics of lexapro (escitalopram)
- stereoisomer of Celexa so dosing is HALF celexa
- tends to have FEWEST side effects (Biggest is sedation)
- good flexibility w/ dosing although pills are hard to split
what SSRIs need to be taken with food?
- Celexa (citalopram)
- Lexapro (escitalopram)
- Prozac (fluoxetine)
- Paxil (paroxetine)
characteristics of Paxil (paroxetine)
- most sedation, weigh gain, sexual side effects
- STRONG association w/ Discontinuation Syndrome
common side effects with SSRIs
GI: nausea/constipation/diarrhea
Sedation
HA/dizziness
Dry mouth
- most SE go away
- SE for most psych meds (except Wellbutrin- no sedation)
Long term side effects of SSRIs
- sexual- lower libido, decreased ability to have an orgasm
- Cognitive- feeling spacey, loss of words/focus
- Feeling Flat- dull, unemotional, failure to react appropriately to an emotional event
how to help manage sexual SE on SSRIs
- adding Wellbutrin may help (if you can get by with lowering SSRI dose as well)
- ED meds
*work w/ patient based on level of tolerability
how to help manage cognitive SE on SSRIs
- Wellbutrin may help
2. educate patient
how to help manage “feeling flat” SE on SSRIs
- Downregulation of NE- DA a possibility so adding Wellbutrin may help
- lower SSRI
- Therapy
Symptoms of discontinuation syndrome
- Sensory sx (electrical shock, numbness)
- Disequilibrium (LH, dizzy, vertigo)
- General Somatic Sx (lethargy, HA, tremor, sweating, anorexia)
- Affective sx (irritability, anxiety, tearfulness)
- GI (N/V, diarrhea)
- Sleep disturbance (nightmares, insomnia, excessive dreaming)
Addiction vs Discontinuation Syndrome
Addiction:
- development of tolerance (need to increase dose)
- associated w/ feeling high or “altered mental state”
- person still has cravings after W/D period
Discontinuation:
- No tolerance
- used to feel “normal”
- After D/C syndrome resolves, NO cravings
what are SNRIs
- Effexor XR (venlafaxine)
- Pristiq (desvenlafaxine)
- Cymbalta (duloxetine)
- Remeron (mirtazapine)
Characteristics of Effexor XR (venlafaxine)
- low doses have more SE effects. More NE as dose increases
- high risk of D/C syndrome- may need to use SSRI tablet w/ pts experiencing trouble
- good 2nd option if pt fails SSRIs or needs help w/ energy/concentration/pain
*not sedative!
how should effexor XR (venlafaxine) be taken?
AM with food (not sedative)
*taper up and dwon
characteristics of Pristiq (desvenlafaxine)
- active metabolite of Effexor (less d-d interactions bc not metabolized in liver)
- well-tolerated given high starting dose
- $$ than Effexor
- not a lot of dosing flexibility
- can have D/C syndrome
what is the best SNRI with fewest side effects
pristiq (desvenlafaxine)
what med has equal SE and NE effects at all doses
Cymbalta (duloxetine)
*SNRI
Cymbalta (duloxetine) characteristics
- worth trying in pts struggling with pain along w/ depression
- may need to add an SSRI to help if it is is helping w/ pain component
- biggest SE is being TOO activating or increasing anxiety
- nausea is common
what is unique about remeron (mirtazapine)
- no sexual or GI side effects but strong association w/ sedation and weight gain
- fantastic for pts who can’t eat/sleep
how should one take remeron (mirtazapine)
-in PM bc its sedative
how does remeron (mirtazapine) work
SNRI
-stimulates certain SE receptors like SSRI’s but blocks other that cause SE’s
considerations for SNRIs
- higher incidence of SE (nausea, insomina, HA)
- too much NE is similar to having too much caffeine (HR, sweatiness, teeth clenching, dry mouth, dizzy)
- increase BP
what class is wellbutrin (buproprion)
NDRI
*only AD that boost NE and DA
characteristics of wellbutrin (buproprion)
- most activating so take in AM
- can be too activating (crawling out of skin)
- not great for anxiety
- NO sexual or weight gain SE (bc no serotonin)
what are the contraindications for Wellbutrin (buproprion)?
- Seizure disorder
- Bulimia (risk for seizures bc their electrolytes are already off)
special considerations before starting an AD
- beware of bipolar disorder
2. pt should stay on meds for minimum of 6 months after remission to avoid relapse
How to manage Nausea associated with AD
- take at end of meal
- move to PM
How to manage sedation associated with AD
- switch to SNRI
- more to PM