General Hospital Psychiatry Flashcards
What factors of physical illness lead to psychiatric problems?
Psychological - treatment might be unpleasant, struggle to deal with it mentally
Effect of physical illness on brain function
What are common mental health problems in the hospital?
Affective disorders Self-harm Delirium Substance misuse disorders Medically unexplained symptoms Personality disorders Dementia Eating disorders
What are less common mental health problems in hospital?
Schizophrenia
Bipolar affective disorder
Severe depression
What patients are more at risk of depression in the hospital?
Common in chronic illness
Even more common in neurological diseases
Difficult to detect due to overlap in symptomatology with physical disorders
Patients with previous history of depression
What is routine for patients admitted with self harm?
Psycho-social assessment
What is the rate of repeat of self harm within one year?
15-20%
How may substance misuse present?
Physical complications Intoxication Withdrawal Alcohol related brain damage Trauma/accident Drug-induced psychosis Feigned illness in order to obtain drugs
What are common causes of admission in dementia?
UTI
Why is it important to recognise psychiatric disorders in hospital patients?
Provide appropriate mental health treatment Shorten length of treatment Avoidance of unnecessary investigations Enhance recovery and rehabilitation Improve quality of life
What is a functional disorder?
Problem without demonstrable problems ie nothing shows up on scans
What disorders are categorised as functional disorders?
Dissociative disorders
Somatoform disorders
Other neurotic disorders
What are features of patients with functional disorders?
Common in neurology outpatients Can present to all specialities May be subject to multiple investigations and inappropriate treatment Often have significant disability May have underlying psychiatric disorder
