Mental Health Block Flashcards
List the 10 components of a psychiatric history?
- Presenting complaint
- History of presenting complaint
- Past psychiatric history
- Past medical history
- Drug history
- Family history
- Personal and psychosexual history
- Social history
- Forensic history
- Pre morbid personality
What are the 7 components of the mental state exam?
- Appearance and behaviour
- Speech
- Mood
- Thought
- Perception
- Cognition
- Insight
What is a mnemonic to remind you of the possible categories of differential diagnoses for a psychiatric patient?
SAD MOPP
S-substance
A-anxiety
D-developmental
M-mood
O-organic
P-psychotic
P-personality
What are 5 medical conditions that should be asked about in PMH of a psychiatric history?
- Thyroid disease
- Epilepsy
- Previous head injury
- Cardiovascular risk (psychotropic medication)
- Diabetes (psychotropic medication)
Name 4 thought contents that are of special importance in the diagnosis of schizophrenia
- Thought insertion (someone else is putting thoughts in your head)
- Thought excision (someone is removing your thoughts)
- Delusions of control (feeling like a puppet)
- Delusions of reference (think they’re talking about you on tv/radio)
What are the 9 key symptoms of (major) depressive disorder (DSM classification)?
- Persistent low mood
- Loss of interest or pleasure (anhedonia)
- Fatigue/low energy
(at least 1 of these must be present for a diagnosis and if so, then ask patients about the following) - Disturbed sleep
- Poor concentration or indecisiveness
- Low self confidence/guilt
- Poor/increased appetite
- Suicidal thoughts/acts
- Agitation/slowing of movement
How is depressive disorder diagnosed?
A patient must have had at least 2 of the 10 symptoms of depressive disorder over a 2 week period
4 symptoms = mild depression
5-6 = moderate
7+ = severe
How is major depressive disorder diagnosed?
A patient must have had at least 5 of the 9 symptoms of major depressive disorder over a 2 week period
Patient must be clinically distressed or have impaired functioning
What 4 investigations would you consider for a patients suspected to have depression?
- BP + pulse
- FBC, U&E, TFT, LFT, HbA1C
- ECG
- BMI
What are 5 common side effects of sertraline (SSRI)?
- Dry mouth
- Drowsiness
- Mild nausea (resolve in 1-2wks)
- GI upset (resolve in 1-2wks)
- Decreased libido + impotence
Name 5 conditions where antidepressants are used
- Unipolar depression
- Organic mood disorder
- Schizoaffective disorder
- Anxiety disorder
- Premenstrual dysphoric disorder
How long does it take before antidepressants improve symptoms?
3-6 weeks
How long should an antidepressant be continued once symptoms improve?
At least 6 months
What are 2 examples of a tricyclic antidepressant (name 1 tertiary TCA and 1 secondary TCA)?
Amitriptyline = tertiary TCA (act primarily on serotonin receptors)
Nortriptyline = secondary TCA (act primarily on norepinephrine receptors)
Name 6 side effects of tricyclic antidepressants
- Lower seizure threshold
- Cardiotoxic (prolong QTc)
- Lethal in overdose
- Anticholinergic effects (dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation, urinary retention, confusion, cognitive/memory problems)
- Antiadrenergic effects (postural hypotension, sexual dysfunction, tachycardia)
- Antihistaminic effects (sedation, weight gain)
What is the most common class of antidepressant used?
SSRIs
List 5 common SSRIs
- Fluoxetine
- Sertraline
- Citalopram
- Escitalopram
- Paroxetine
If a patient doesn’t respond to SSRI treatment what drug class can you try?
SNRI
serotonine norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitor
Give 3 examples of SNRIs
- Duloxetine (used in diabetic neuropathy)
- Venlaxafine (used for menopausal symptoms)
- Mirtazapine
What is serotonin syndrome?
Autonomic dysfunction caused by increased/excessive serotonin (due to 1+ drugs or interactions)
What are the 5 symptoms of serotonin syndrome?
- Autonomic dysfunction (hyperthermia, hypertension, tachycardia)
- Abdo pain
- Myoclonus
- Delirium
- Cardiovascular shock
What are the 4 steps to treating serotonin syndrome?
- Discontinue medication
- Benzodiazepines for agitation
- Cyproheptadine (serotonin antagonist - if severe)
- Active cooling
Name 4 scenarios where urgent psychiatric referral is necessary
- Significant perceived risk of suicide, harm to others, self-neglect
- Psychotic symptoms
- History/suspicion of bipolar disorder
- All cases where a child/adolescent presents with major depression
Name 9 risk factors for suicide
- Age > 45
- Male
- Unemployment
- Divorced/widowed/single
- Psychiatric illness
- Physical illness
- Previous suicide attempts
- Substance abuse
- Family history of depression/substance abuse/suicide
Other than pharmacological treatment, what’s another treatment option for depression?
Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Up to 20 30-60min sessions
How should antidepressants be stopped?
Titrate down slowly (over a period of at least 4wks) to avoid withdrawal symptoms
What are 4 common and 4 rare antidepressant withdrawal symptoms?
Common:
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Nausea
- Lethargy
Rare:
- Ataxia
- Electric shock sensations (particularly scalp)
- Extrapyramidal symptoms (ie. muscle spasms, parkinsonisms)
- Hypomania/mania
What are symptoms of hypomania/mania? (8)
3 or more of the following symptoms lasting at least 4 consecutive days (for hypomania) or at least 1 week (for mania):
- Abnormally upbeat, jumpy, wired
- Increased activity, energy, agitation
- Exaggerated sense of well-being/self-confidence (euphoria)
- Decreased need for sleep
- Unusual talkativeness
- Racing thoughts
- Distractibility
- Poor decision making
Mania may require hospitalization while hypomania is a milder form
Mrs Banerjee has recently recovered from a major depressive episode on duloxetine 60mg orally daily. This was her third major depressive episode in the past four years. What is the best management advice to reduce her risk of relapse?
In high risk patients (e.g. >5 lifetime episodes and/or 2 episodes in the last few years) at least 2 years at the dose needed to get them well should be advised and long-term treatment should be considered for most
In a moderate to severe depressive episode, what is the most effective treatment option?
Antidepressant + high intensity CBT
What are 11 organic causes of psychosis?
- Acute confusion
- Dementia
- Temporal lobe epilepsy
- Infections of the nervous system (AIDS, neurosyphilis, encephalitis)
- Brain injury
- Brain tumours
- Huntington’s Disease
- Metabolic disorders (Vit B12 deficiency, porphyria)
- Endocrine disorders (Cushing’s, thyroid disease)
- Medication effects (high dose steroids)
- Autoimmune disorders (lupus, thyroid disease)
What are 2 initial investigations for a patient with psychosis?
- Bloods (FBC, U&E, TFTs, LFTs, bone profile)
2. MRI head
What is psychosis?
A severe mental disorder in which thought and emotions are so impaired that contact is lost with external reality
What are the 2 most common features of psychosis?
- Hallucinations
2. False beliefs
Name 5 mental health disorders that can cause psychosis
- Schizophrenia
- Severe depression (mood congruent psychotic symptoms)
- Drug induced psychosis
- Dementia
- Manic phase of a bipolar disorder (mood congruent)
Before starting an antipsychotic medication, what 7 baseline investigations must be performed?
- Weight (plotted on chart)
- Waist circumference
- Pulse + BP
- Bloods (fasting blood glucose, HbA1C, lipid profile, + prolactin levels)
- Assessment of any movement disorders
- Assessment of nutritional status, diet, physical activity
- ECG (if necessary)
What treatment is recommended for a first presentation of psychosis?
An oral antipsychotic with CBT
What are the 5 main groups of side effects of antipsychotic drugs?
- Metabolic (weight gain, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, hyperlipidemia)
- Sedation
- Extrapyramidal (movement disorders - akathisia, dyskinesia, dystonia)
- Cardiovascular (prolonged QT interval)
- Hormonal (increased plasma prolactin)
Name 3 commonly used antipsychotics
- Olanzapine
- Clozapine
- Haloperidol
- Amisulpride
- Aripiprazole
- Quetiapine
- Risperidone
- Zuclopenthixol
What is the dopamine hypothesis of psychosis?
Positive symptoms of psychosis (delusions, hallucinations) are caused by increase of dopamine in the mesolimbic pathway. Typical antipsychotics treat these symptoms.
What are typical antipsychotics? Give 2 examples and understand where they act.
D2 dopamine receptor antagonists. Bind to D2 receptors with high affinity. Thus, have a higher risk of extrapyramidal side effects (i.e. dyskinesia)
- Haloperidol (high potency)
- Chlorpromazine (low potency)
List a limbic selective antipsychotic
Amisulpride
What are the atypical antipsychotics? Give 2 examples and understand where they act.
Serotonin-dopamine 2 antagonists (SDAs)
Considered atypical in the way that they affect dopamine and serotonin neurotransmission in the 4 key dopamine pathways in the brain.
- Risperidone -> SE: hyperprolactinemia!
- Olanzapine -> SE: significant weight gain!
- Quetiapine -> SE: orthostatic hypotension, prolong QTc!
- Aripriprazole -> SE: akithesia (use with benzodiazepine if pt is agitated)
- Clozapine -> SE: agranulocytosis; lower seizure threshold (only used for treatment resistant psychosis!)
When is clozapine used in psychotic disorders? What are its 7 side effects?
Reserved for treatment resistance due to its significant side effect of AGRANULOCYTOSIS!
Other side effects include:
- Agranulocytosis
- Lowered seizure threshold
- Weight gain
- Sedation
- Deranged LFTs
- Hypercholesteremia
- Hyperglycemia
What are the 9 symptoms of neuroleptic malignant syndrome?
- Autonomic dysfunction (hyperthermia, hypertension, hyporeflexia)
- Severe muscle rigidity
- High fever
- Confusion
- High WBC + LFTs + CK
- Rhabdomyolysis
- Hyperkalemia
- Kidney failure
- Seizures
What is the treatment for neuroleptic malignant syndrome?
- Discontinue medication
- ICU (may require circulatory/ventilator support)
- Active cooling for hyperthermia
- Dantrolene/Amantadine/Bromocriptine (“DAB”) for muscle rigidity
- Benzodiazepines for agitation
- IV hydration with diuresis
What are the 4 dopamine pathways in the brain and what antipsychotic drug side effects are associated with each pathway?
- Mesolimic pathway = positive symptoms
- Mesocortical pathway = negative symptoms
- Nigrostriatal pathway = extrapyramidal symptoms + tardive dyskinesia
- Tuberoinfundibular pathway = hyperprolactinemia
What are 3 risk factors for schizophrenia?
- Birth complications
- Smoking cannabis
- Family history of schizophrenia
When should section 2 of the mental health act be used?
To detain patients when diagnosis is unclear
What are the 6 stages of change (the transtheoretical model)?
- Pre-contemplation
- Contemplation
- Preparation
- Action
- Maintenance
- Relapse/lapse
What are 6 alcohol withdrawal symptoms?
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Breathing difficulties
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Delirium tremens (hallucinations, cardiovascular problems, psychosis)
What are the 7 symptoms of mania?
DIG FAST
D-distractibility
I-irresponsibility
G-grandiosity
F-flight of ideas
A-activity increase
S-sleep deficit
T-talkativeness
How do you differentiate between an episode of hypomania and mania?
According to the DSM IV, a hypomanic period should last for at least 4 days whereas manic episodes last for the minimum of a week. This state has to be “clearly different from the usual non-depressed mood”. The major difference between a hypomanic and a manic episode however is that the hypomanic episode is associated with an “unequivocal change in functioning that is uncharacteristic of the person when not symptomatic” and “the episode is not severe enough to cause marked impairment in social or occupational functioning, or to necessitate hospitalisation, and there are no psychotic features”.
What are the 10 symptoms of delirium tremens?
- Delirium
- Autonomic hyperactivity
- Tachycardia
- Fever
- Insomnia
- Anxiety
- Hypertension
- Perceptual distortions
- Visual/tactile hallucinations (formication- insects crawling on skin)
- Fluctuating motor activity (from hyperexcitability to lethargy)