ic10 schizophrenia and psychosis Flashcards
what is “psychosis” and “schizophrenia”
psychosis is an acute and severe episode of being out of touch with reality along with lack of insight
schizophrenia is protracted psychosis (>6m); a syndrome of disorganised and bizarre thoughts, delusions, hallucinations and impaired psychosocial func
hallucinations can be in the form of auditory, visual, tactile, olfactory and gustatory
differentiate between “affective disorders” and “organic disorders”
affective disorders are more related to mood while organic disorders are more related to structural deficits or psychologic dysfunc
what are the possible diagnoses related to psychosis sx
- organic disorders like epilepsy, cerebral lesions (trauma, CVA, trauma), nervous system illness (due to infection, genetic/ congenital), endocrine disorders, metabolic disorders or physiological disturbances affecting the nervous system, iatrogenic causes, psychosis related to alcohol and psychoactive substance misuse, parkinson’s disease, dementia
- affective disorders like mania, psychotic depression, post-partum psychosis
- schizophrenia, schizotypal personality disorder, delusional disorder (incl psychosis in childhood or adolescence)
what contributes to the etiology of schizophrenia
- predisposing factors (factors from early life determining vulnerability to precipitating factors) incl genetics, environment in utero, neurodevelopmental effects, personality, physical, psychological and social factors in infancy and early childhood
- precipitating factors (events occuring shortly before onset) incl cerebral tumors or injury, drugs/substance induced psychosis, personal misfortune, environment of highly expressed emotion
- perpetuating (factors that prolong the course) incl secondary demoralisation, social withdrawal, lack of support or poor socio-economic status or environment, poor adherence to antipsychotics
what are some common substances or drugs that can induce psychosis
benzodiazepines, alcohol, barbiturates, antidepressants, corticosteroids, CNS stimulants (amphetamines), hallucinogens (LSD, cannabis, volatiles), BB (propanolol), dopamine agonists (levodopa, bromocriptine)
what is the main idea behind the pathophysiology of schizophrenia
abnormality occuring in one of the various NT incl dopamine, 5HT, glutamatergic func
what are the chromosomal regions identified for schizophrenia
chromosome 6, 8, 13, 15, 22
categorise the risks of developing schizophrenia based on one’s familial factors
if none, approx 1%
if first degree relative, 10%
if second degree relative, 3%
if both parents, 40%
if monozygotic twin, 48%
if dizygotic twin, 12-14%
what is the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia
based on DSM-5 criteria
(A) at least two of the following with each lasting for at least 1m: delusions, hallucinations, disorganised speech, grossly disorganised or catatonic behavior, neg sx
(B) social or occupational dysfunc (relating to work, interpersonal relations, self care)
(C) continuous sx alsting for at least 6m (incl sx lasting for at least 1m in (A) unless successfully treated) (may incl prodromal or residual sx)
(D) schizoaffective or mood disorders excluded
(E) exclude medical disorders and substance use
(F) if hx of pervasive developmental disorder aka delays in development of social and communication skills, must display hallucination or delusions for at least 1m
what are the assessments to be done when wanting to diagnose schizophrenia
- hx of presenting illness
- psychiatric hx (neurosis, psychosis)
- substance use hx (incl alcohol, cigarettes, substances)
- complete medical and medication hx (allergy, response, supplements)
- family, social, occupational, forensic, developmental hx
- physical and neurological exam (look for head trauma)
- mental state exam (MSE) for accurate diagnosis (look for signs of suicidality or homicidal ideations, repeat upon every interview)
- labs and other investigations (vital signs, weight and BMI, RFTs through U/E/Cr, LFTs, TFTs, FBC (rule out anemia, infection), ECG (to rule out QTc prolongation bc c/i), lipid panel, fasting blood glucose, urine toxicology; exclude general medical conditions or substance induced withdrawal sx)
what are some non pharmacotx for schizophrenia
on individual level: counselling, personal therapy, social skills therapies, sheltered vocational workshops (employment and rehabilitative eg. psychosocial rehabilitative programmes to improve pt’s adaptive func)
on group level: social/ interactive
to target cognitive behavioural: CBT, compliance therapy
to target neurostimulation: electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)
what to consider for ECT (a non pharmacotx for schizophrenia)
electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is conducted under general anesthesia which is not appropriate for all pts
what are the therapeutic goals for schizophrenia (split into the three main phases of journey of schizophrenia tx)
- acute stabilisation (minimise threat to self and others, minimise acute sx, improve func, identify appropriate psychosocial interventions, collab with family and caregivers)
- stabilisation (minimise or prevent relapse, promote adherence, optimise dose and manage s/e)
- stable/ maintenance (improve func and QoL, maintain baseline func, optimise dose and manage s/e, monitor for prodromal sx of relapse, monitor and manage s/e)
what is the general use of an antipsychotic
tranquilise without impairing consciousness and without causing paradoxical excitement; in short term can calm disturbed pts
what are the common indications of an antipsychotic, what are other possible uses of antipsychotics
schizophrenia, short term adjunct for severe anxiety or psychomotor agitation or violent behaviour, acute mania, adjunct for MDD
other uses incl antiemetic, motor tics and adjunct for choreas and tourettes syndrome, intractable hiccups, irritability assoc w bipolar disorder
what is the use of an antipsychotic specifically for schizophrenia
relieve sx of psychosis such as thought disorder, hallucinations and delusions and prevent relapse
what is the importance of tx with an antipsychotic for long term
req long term tx after first episode of psychosis and to prevent illness from becoming chronic
higher risk of relapse if withdrawn inappropriately; maintenance therapy can reduce risk of relapse to <30% per year; if w/o maintenance therapy 60-70% relapse within 1 yr and 90% relapse within 2 years
does relapse occur immediately after withdrawal from an antipsychotic
no, relapse can be delayed for several weeks after cessation of tx bc adipose tissues act as a depot reservoir since antipsychotics are mostly lipophilic thus will distribute in adipose tissues and will diffuse back into blood stream after cessation of tx
what are some ways to overcome adherence issues
- IM long acting injections
- community psychiatric nurses to conduct home visits to administer LA inj regularly
- patient and family/ caregiver education