midterm Flashcards
normal anxiety in young children
- fear of dark
- separation
- fear of being alone
normal anxiety in teens
- school performance
- social acceptance
- physical appearance
- future success
warming signs of problematic anxiety
- sleep disturbances
- excessive physical complaints
- constant need for reassurance
- avoidant or oppositional behaviour
- behavioural change or emotional dysregulation
- school refusal
anxiety demands 2 things
- certainty “I have to know what’s going to happen next and i want to control it
- comfort “I want to feel safe and comfortable”
anxiety leads to avoidance
child worries –> feels uncomfortable with uncertainty –> seeks comfort through avoidance –> avoids fearful event –> feels relief
what causes anxiety disorders
- genes
- role modeling
- trauma
- temperament
- lack of self efficacy (don’t believe they can do it)
temperament
personality you’re born with
stress response in kids
- fight
- flight
- freeze
common thinking errors
- catastrophic thinking
- black and white thinking
- mind reading
- jumping to conclusions
- discounting the positive
catastrophic thinking
when you think something, someone, or a situation is way worse than what the reality actually is
black and white thinking
think in extremes
mind reading
assuming what someone else is thinking without having much to go on
jumping to conclusion
aking unwarranted assumptions based on limited information.
discounting the positive
you don’t take credit for the good things you’ve earned or achieved in your life
unhelpful way of coping with anxiety
AVOIDANCE
types of anxiety disorder
- separation anxiety
- GAD
- social anxiety
- panic disorder
- OCD
- specific phobias
- PTSD
sx of separation anxiety
- intense fear of being separated from parents
- stomach aches, headaches, dizziness
- an willingness to leave parents sides, even at home
- nightmares about separation
- defiant behaviour when faced with separation
- can lead to extreme avoidant bx
GAD
- “master worriers”
- degree of worry is extreme and not usually developmentally appropriate
- tends to impact females
- may be easily annoyed or restless
- subject of their worry can change and is not relevant
- physical sx = exhaustion, stomach aches, headaches
social anxiety
- start to show 8-15
- hate drawing attention to themselves
- experience physical sx “shaking, sweating, SOB”
- fear of new social situations
- tantrums and crying
panic disorder
- occur suddenly and often unpredictable with no trigger
- palpitation, acute SOB, dizziness, nausea
- sudden and overwhelming fear of death or losing control, a feeling taht the world is unreal, and an intesne desire to flee
- leads to avoidance of places or situations that could trigger an attack
specific phobia
- presents as an irrational fear when faced with particular object, situation or even the thought of encountering something not normally thoughts of as dangerous
- experiences anticipatory dread or full blown panic attacks
- present for at least 6 months and cause significant distress or impairment in functioning
- occur in females at a 2:1
obsessions
unwanted, distressing and intrustive thoughts or images
compulsions
actions or repetitive rituals used to relieve the anxiety associated with obsessions
common obsessive thoughts
- fear of germs or illness
- fear of harm coming to self or others
- need for things to be 100% perfect or they are not satisfied
- need to have symmetry or things to be ordered a certain way
- repeated thoughts of violent, religious, or sexual act
common compulsions
- washing, cleaning rituals
- repeated compulsive checking that people are ok, doors locked
- counting, tapping, touching
- arranging items in specific way
- frequently seeking out reassurance from others
tx for OCD
- exposure response prevention
- learn to tolerate distress without using compulsions
- rate their fears on scale and challenge themselves with easy truggers
exposure response prevention
form of CBT that involves helping children face their fears in slow incremental steps in a safe space
SCARED tool
- child & parent self report instrument used to screen for childhood anxiety disorders
- assess sx related to school phobias
- 10 mins to complete
- suitable for children ages 8-18yrs
how do we manage anxious children
- accurate diagnosis
- educate child & parents about anixety
- begin CBT/DBT with supported, gradual exposure
- young kids respond well to externalizing anxiety
- support parents to manage their own anxiety
- medications?
educating parents about anxiety
- parents often don’t realize that they may be fueling their anxiety
- reassuring, accommodating, and projecting your own fears don’t work
emotional regulation skills with anxiety
- learning to manage intense negative and positive emotions as they arise
- learning to identify, label, and understand their emotions
- learning to tolerate distress
- learning to communicate more effectively in relationships with others
first choice medications for anixety
SSRIs (sertraline, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, citalopram, escitalopram)
concerns with SSRIs
- increase suicidal behaviour
- side effects: nausea, headaches, sleep problems
- results = 4-6 weeks
- behavioural activation
- trigger manic episode
- drinking alcohol can worsen
- not stopped abruptly
causes of mood disorders..
- genetic vs role modeling
- chemical imbalance (low serotonin)
- environment (chronic stress, unexpected life events, trauma)
- teens coping with loss/grief
- lack of coping skills
major depressive disorder
- less interest in normal activities, feeling sad or hopeless for most of day, everyday, and symptoms for at least 2 weeks
persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia)
- ongoing (chronic)
- low grade, depressed, irritable mood
- at least a year
bipolar disorder
- extreme lows & highs of mood
- can experience psychosis
premenstrual dysphoric disorder
- depressive sx
- irritability
- tension before menstruation
disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD)
children up to 18 years who exhibit chronic irritability & frequent episodes of extreme behaviouraly dusregulation
girls are at least twice as likely to develop depression t/f
true
Common signs and symptoms of depression in children and
teenagers are similar to those of adults, but there can be some
differences. (t/f)
- true
younger children sx of depression include
- irritability
- no longer interested in playing with friends, isolating
- somatic complaints (tummy aches/headaches)
- withdrawn
- rejection sensitivity
depressive sx in adolescents
- very irritability and sensitive
- anhedonia (loss of interest)
- avoiding social interactions
- lack of motivation
red flags for depression in kids
- poor performance in school
- constant anger/irritability
- rebellious bx
- trouble with family
- trouble with friends
assessment for depression
- MSE
- patient health questionnaire
- anhedonia
- neurovegetative signs
- feelings of guilt or worthlessness
- manic sx
substances in short use can reduce..
anxiety, irritability, negative thoughts in depressed youth
tx for mood disorders
- strong TR
- highlight their strengths
without trust & feeling comfortable, there low chance of obtaining or building collaboration for addressing identified risks
true
Families (and other close informal supports, e.g., friends) can provide
extremely helpful collateral on the situation, triggers, risk/protective factors,
and recent mental health issues. (t/f)
true
Confidentiality: It is often necessary to share information about suicide
risk/plans with family/caregivers in order to keep the youth safe (t/f)
true
teaching emotional coping skills
- interpersonal therapy & supported by parents
- CBT skills & challenge negative thinking errors
- realistic thinking
- problem solving skills & goal setting
- mindfulness techniques and distress tolerance
- encourage to communicate openly
- harm reduction approaches
behavioural activation involves..
working with a depressed person to increase activities that can reduce their depression
behavioural activation looks at
setting goals to do things that will make them feel better
best evidence based practices is..
CBT in combo with SSRI for moderate to severe depression
SSRIs most common class of antidepressants used in adolescents
truw
which med is currently the only drug approved for treatment of depression in children & adolescents
prozac (fluoxetine)
patient education for depression
- watch for changes that may signal worsening sx
- tend to see improvement in neuroveg sx first then mood
- meds begin to work, becomes more motivated and may have ,ore energy to act on SI
manic episode
elevated, expansive, irritable mood for at least 1 week + 3 sx (decreased, flight of ideas, grandosity)
bipolar 1
mood swings b/w mania & depression, sometimes with periods of normal mood b/w extremes
can have mania with no depression
bipolar 2
depression more prominent than mania & may be less common & less severe
mixed episode
manic episode with major depressive ep for 1 week
children and young with bipolar tend to have….
rapid cycling = labile mood swings throughout the day
looks like excessive agitation or anger
One way to distinguish bipolar mood cycles from
normal mood swings is to ask:
- Are your child’s mood shifts accompanied by
extreme changes in thinking, energy, or activity
levels?
If your child’s mood shift lasts only an hour or two,
can it be explained by other factors? - Do other people notice when your child’s mood
shifts? - Do your child’s mood shifts cause problems with
his or her social and family life? - Do they describe feeling an inner rage or anger
all the time?
Suspect bipolar disorder instead of ADHD if:
- Disruptive behaviors appear later in life
(after 10 years of age) - Disruptive behaviors come and go and tend to occur with mood changes
- The child has periods of exaggerated elation, depression, no need for sleep, and inappropriate sexual behaviors
- The child has severe mood swings, temper outbursts, or rages
- The child has hallucinations or delusions
- There is a strong family history of bipolar disorder
common symptoms of bipolar disorder in
children and adolescents
- Severe changes in mood (lability) from being extremely irritable or sad to grandiose all in one day.
- Too much energy, such as the ability to keep going without tiring while the child’s peers are tiring
- In teens decreased need for sleep, such as going for days with very little or no sleep and not being tired
- In children, they still sleep but it may be disrupted
- Talking too much or too fast, changing topics too quickly, and not allowing interruptions
- More anger, violence and physical aggression during mania
lithium (approved pt 12+) doses
- children 15-60mg/kg/day in 3-4 doses/24hrs
- adolescents 600-1800 mg/day in 3-4 doses/24hrs
blood levels for lithium
0.5-1mEq/L (low toxicity threshold)
for bipolar, first choice tx is
mood stabilizers
divalproex
Children ≥ 7 years of age and adolescents
- Can also use Carbemazepine or Oxcarbemazepine (anticonvulsant) = Be aware of Stevens Johnson’s Syndrome (life threatening skin rash)
36
mild to moderate lithium s/e
- tremors
- nausea
- increased urine output
- blurred vision
- some loss of coordination
- slurred speech
- acne
- hair loss
- weight gain
rare but serious s/e of lithium
- vomiting
- convulsions
- uncontrolled jerky movements in arms and legs (TD)
- stupor
- seizures
- coma