Neurocognitive Disorders Flashcards
Classification of Psychiatric Disorders
- “Organic” versus “Functional”
- Neurocognitive Disorders
- Psychiatric Disorders Secondary to General Medical Condition
- Psychiatric Disorders Secondary to Substance Abuse
DSM‐5:
Neurocognitive Disorders
- Delirium
- Major and Mild Neurocognitive Disorders (Dementia)
Disorders Secondary to a General Medical Condition
- Delirium and Neurocognitive Disorders are not the only psychiatric disorders that are secondary to a medical condition
- Mood Disorders secondary to GMC
- Psychotic Disorders secondary to GMC
- Catatonic Disorders secondary to GMC
- Personality change secondary to GMC
- Anxiety Disorders secondary to GMC
Delirium
Definition
Delirium is characterized by a disturbance in attention and awareness that develops over a short period of time
- Attention: reduced ability to direct, focus, sustain and shift attention)
- Awareness: reduced orientation to the environment
- Acute onset
- Fluctuating course
- Impairment of attention is associated with global impairment of cognitive functions
- Memory deficits, disorientation, language or perception
Delirium
Syndromes
- Substance withdrawal delirium
- Medication‐induced delirium
- Delirium due to another medical condition
- Delirium due to multiple etiologies
-
Specify if:
- Acute: Lasting a few hours or days
- Persistent: Lasting weeks or months
Medical Conditions Commonly Associated with Delirium
- Central nervous system disorder
- Metabolic disorder
- Cardiopulmonary disorder
- Sepsis / Infection
- Systemic illness
Delirium
Types
-
Hyperactive:
- The individual has a hyperactive level of psychomotor activity that may be accompanied by mood lability, agitation, and/or refusal to cooperate with medical care
-
Hypoactive:
- The individual has a hypoactive level of psychomotor activity that may be accompanied by sluggishness and lethargy that approaches stupor
-
Mixed level of activity:
- The individual has a normal level of psychomotor activity even though attention and awareness are disturbed
- Also includes individuals whose activity level rapidly fluctuates
Delirium
Pathophysiology
Delirium
Epidemiology
- Low in community samples ~ 1‐2%
- The prevalence of delirium in the hospitalized medically ill ranges from 10% to 30%
- In the hospitalized elderly, the delirium prevalence ranges from 10% to 40%
- 70‐90% in the ICU
- 51% of postoperative patients develop delirium
- 80% of patients with terminal illnesses develop delirium near death
Recognizing Delirium
- It is important clinically to recognize delirium
- Delirium is due to a serious underlying condition, and that condition must be identified and treated
- The confused, delirious patient must be protected from delirium‐related accidents
- Delirious patients tend to have longer hospital stays
- Delirium is associated with higher morbidity and mortality
Clinical Features of Delirium
Essential feature of delirium is disturbance of attention or awareness
- It develops over a short period of time
- Fluctuation of symptoms over the course of the day
- Confusion
- Disorientation
- Illusions /Hallucinations
- Emotional disturbance; Apathy, Anxiety, Fear
- Emotional Disturbance may manifest as calling out, screaming, shouting
- Disturbed sleep awake cycle
Delirium Management
- Supportive treatment
- Treat the cause
- Repeated orientation, cues
- Evaluate and treat for pain
- Pharmacologic management of Agitation
- ? Restraints
- Prevention is the best strategy
- Orientation and Therapeutic activities for the cognitively impaired
- Early mobilization
- Non-pharmacologic interventions for sleep difficulties
- Minimum use of psychoactive agents
- Communication and adaptive equipment (eyeglasses, hearing aid)
- Early Rx for volume depletion
Major Neurocognitive Disorders
Overview
A. Evidence of significant cognitive decline from previous level of performance in one or more cognitive domains
(Complex attention, executive function, learning and memory, language, perceptual motor and social cognition)
Based on:
- History
- Neuropsychological testing
B. Cognitive deficits interfere with everyday activities
C. Not due to delirium
D. Not better explained by another mental disorder like schizophrenia or major depression
Major Neurocognitive Disorders
Subtypes
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Vascular Disease
- Fronto‐Temporal Lobar Degeneration
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Lewy Body Disease
- Parkinson’s Disease
- HIV Infection
- Substance Use
- Huntington’s Disease
- Prion Disease
Major Neurocognitive Disorders
vs
Mild Neurocognitive Disorders
Degree of impairment in Activities of Daily Living
and
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living
Delirium
vs
Neurocognitive Disorders (Dementia)
Neurocognitive Disorders
Clinical features
-
Disturbance in the SIX domains
- Complex Attention: sustained, divided and selective attention + processing speed
- Executive Function: planning, decision making, inhibition, mental flexibility)
- Learning and Memory: immediate, recent, remote, new learning, declarative (semantic & episodic) and implicit (procedural)
- Language
- Perceptual Motor: visual perception, visuo‐ constructional, praxis and agnosis
- Social cognition
- Insidious onset
- Gradual progression
- Patients are adept at minimizing their sx
- Collateral hx important
- Always assess patient’s ADL’s and IADL’s
Neurocognitive Disorders
Assessment
- History
- Physical Exam
- Mental Status Examination
- Assessment of Higher Mental Functions (MOCA, Folstein’s)
- Neuropsychological Assessment