general Flashcards
define psychosis
mental health problem that causes people to perceive or interpret things differently from those around them. this may include hallucinations or delusions (mental disorder so severe that pt loses contact with reality)
what is the mental state exam?
a systematic evaluation of the patients mental condition at the time of interview. Aims to identify signs of mental disorder that, taken with the Hx, enable you to make, suggest or exclude a Dx.
assesses appearance, behaviour, speech, mood, thought, perception, cognition, insight
what is the content of a psychiatric history?
1 presenting complaint 2 history of presenting complaint 3 past medical and psychiatric history 4 prescribed and non-prescribed medication 5 substance use: drugs, alcohol, tobacco, caffeine 6 social circumstances 7 family history 8 personal history 9 risk history 10 forensic history 11 premorbid personality
according to the DSM-5, what is the diagnostic criteria of schizophrenia?
2 or more of the following symptoms, present for a significant portion of time during 1 month (active phase) and associated with continuous problems over at least 6month period (prodromal, active and residual phases). must include at least symptom 1 or 2:
- delusion
- hallucinations
- disorganised speech
- grossly disorganised or catatonic behaviour
- negative symptoms (reduced emotional expression)
- for Dx, the disturbance must not be attributed to the physiological effects of a substance or other medical condition
- pt may also display inappropriate affect, dysphoric mood, disturbed sleep pattern and reduced appetite or food refusal
schizophrenic symptoms can be divided into positive and negative. what are they?
positive:
- delusions
- auditory hallucinations
- delusions of reference (e.g. news directly referenced at them)
- delusions of thought interference
- passivety phenomena
- thought echo (hear thoughts spoken outloud)
negative:
- apathy
- flat affect
- odd or incongruous affect
- lack of attention
- lack of spontaneity
- difficulties in abstract thinking
bipolar affective disorder (BPAD) affects a patient mood - swing from one extreme (usually long periods of severe depression) to the other (excessively elated mood -mania). what is the criteria to diagnose mania?
symptoms should be present for a week and have resulted in significant impairment to social and occupational functioning.
what are the features of mania?
- elevated mood
- increased energy (pressure of speech, racing thoughts, reduced sleep)
- reduced attention
- increased self-esteem
- loss of social inhibition (recklessness, out-of-character, increased spending, inappropriate sexual encounters)
what drug reduces the risk of manic relapses by 30%
lithium (mood stabiliser so can also be used as AD, possible SEs on kidneys and thyroid function)
explain what is meant by antipsychotics
aka neuroleptics, antischrizophrenic drugs, major tranquillisers usually recommended as the first treatment of psychosis.
- work by blocking the effect of dopamine in the brain
what are the 2 dopamine pathways which we would be concerned about the dysregulation of in the context of schizophrenia?
mesolimbic and mesocortical pathways (emotion and behaviour)
[D1 associated with decrease of dopamine in mesocortical pw = -ve syptoms. D2 associated with increase of dopamine in mesolimbic system = +ve symptoms]
what are the other 2 dopamine pathways/ systems which may be at risk of interference during targeted dopamine treatment?
tuberohypophyseal –> involved in regulating endocrine function
nigrostriatal pathway –> involved in fine motor and regulation of motor control (affected in Parkinson’s)
explain the theories underlying the development of schizophrenia
Dopamine theory:
- developed from amphetamine studies and the development of D2 receptor agonists; upregulation of dopamine in the brain produce symptoms indistinguishable from schizophrenia
- strong correlation between clinical potency of antipsychotics and D2 blocking action
glutamate theory:
- come from drug abuse studies (e.g. ketamine); act on NMDA receptors causing a decrease in glutamate and receptor density
- animal experiments shown stereotypic schizophrenic behaviours and decrease social interactions (respond to antipsychotics)
possible ‘gate theory’:
- glutamate and dopamine exert excitatory and inhibitory effects on GABAergic striatal neurons –> thalamus (sensory ‘gate’)
- too little glutamate or too much dopamine disable the ‘gate’ allowing uninhibited sensory input to reach the cortex
- could contribute to positive (D) and negative symptoms (G)
name 3 examples of both atypical and typical drugs used as antipsychotics
typical = first generation:
- chlorpromazine
- haloperidol
- flupentixol
atypical = second line:
- amisulpride (D2 and D3 selective antagonist)
- clozapine (very unselective blocking profile)
- risperidone (mixture of receptor types blocked)
tend to start pt on one class of drug, ensure adherence and monitor SEs. if not tolerated swap class. if a patient is still resistant, what is the best drug to use?
clozapine (one of the greatest degrees of SEs risk vs benefit at this point)
what class of drug is most likely to be chosen in pt showing both positive and negative symptoms?
atypical antipsychotics
*typical much more efficacious of positive symptoms