Opening up to Mental Health Flashcards
What proportion of the UK population experiences a mental health problem each year ?
1 in 4 affected by a mental health problem each year in
UK
What proportion of GP appointments involve mental health ?
• 40% of GP appointments involve mental health
What is the most common mental health disorder in the UK ?
Most common mental health disorder in Britain is mixed anxiety and depression
What is the trend of suicides in Scotland from 2017 to 2018 ? Describe the epidemiology of these suicides.
Suicides increased (to about 800 from about 700 in 2018)
Men at much higher risk, especially between ages of 35 and 44 (cohort that is usually fit and well physically, and that don’t often go to doctor, especially for mental health)
What proportion of Scots take an antidepressant every day.
1 in 8 Scots (12%) take an antidepressant every day
Describe the trend in use of medicines used in the treatment of mental health conditions.
Most increasing, including antidepressants, drugs used in psychoses, dementia, and ADHD.
Only category decreasing is hypnotics and anxiolytics.
List reasons why antidepressant use is increasing.
- Less stigma so patients more likely to present
- Better patient-Dr rapport leading to better exploration of mental health
- Increase in frequency of mental health issues in population
- Possibly less counselling available in some areas (so more prescribing)
- Possible increase in other pathologies where antidepressants may be used, such as conditions with chronic pain
List principles of talking about mental health.
- Begin the dialogue and seem comfortable with it
- Active listening and open questions (UNLESS need to assess suicide risk, by asking closed questions)
- Be sensitive and encouraging, build relationship of trust
- nonjudgmental
- Acknowledge how they are feeling, validate
- Good time and place to talk, not rushed
- Confidentiality, dignity and respect (break confidentiality if person or other people at imminent risk and cannot be managed without informing others)
- Take care of yourself to take care of your patient
- Provide information appropriate to level of understanding
- Avoid clinical language without adequate explanation
- Provide written information where necessary
- Use interpreters where necessary
- Establish consent where necessary
- SIGNPOST if necessary
Identify some DON’Ts of talking about mental health.
- make dismissive comments like ‘snap out of it’, ‘cheer up’, ‘forget about it’, ‘pull yourself together”
- say ‘you know how they feel’ if you don’t
- point out that others are worse off
- blame the individual
- think of mental illness as a personal weakness or failing
- use words that stigmatise
Identify red flags for potential mental health problems.
- Unexplained chronic pain or fatigue
- Recurrent presentations
- Changes in eating or sleeping patterns
- Signs of impairment in work, school or home life
- Signs of past or present use of alcohol or drugs (risk factor, but also possibly bad coping mechanism)
- Previous mental health problem
- Chronic physical health problem
Identify relevant questions for any mental health problem.
- Identify if a trigger
- Duration of symptoms, recurrent or isolated episode
- Consider own/family history
- Dependents
- Level of social support/isolation (to assess support network: living alone, poor friendship and family network, unemployment all increase risk of suicide )
- Drugs, alcohol, cigarettes
- Employment history
- Forensic history (i.e. related to legal issues)
- Childhood and development (any possible traumatic events in childhood)
- Evidence of other mental health problems
- Response to previous treatments (if relevant) (can guide future treatments)
- Evidence of neglect
Identify and describe a tool to assess mental status in more severe mental illness.
Brief Mental Status Exam:
1) Appearance
- casual dress, normal grooming and hygiene
- other (describe)
2) Attitude
- calm and cooperative
- other (describe):
3) Behavior
- no unusual movements or psychomotor changes
- other (describe):
4) Speech
- normal rate/tone/volume w/out pressure
- other (describe):
5) Affect (how they are right now)
- reactive and mood congruent
- labile
- tearful
- blunted
- normal range
- depressed
- constricted
- flat
- other (describe):
6) Mood (sustained emotion that person is describing)
- euthymic
- irritable
- elevated
- anxious
- depressed
- other (describe)
7) Thought process
- goal-directed and logical
- disorganized
- other (describe)
8) Thought content
-Delusions
-Phobias
-Other (describe):
-Obsessions/Compulsions
-Suicide Ideation:
None
Passive
Active
If active, then:
-Intent ?
-Plan ?
-Means ?
9) Perception
- no hallucinations or delusions during interview
- other (describe)
10) Orientation
- Oriented wrt time
- Oriented wrt place
- Oriented wrt person
- Oriented wrt self
- Other (describe)
11) Memory/Concentration
- short term intact
- other (describe):
- long term intact
- distractable/ inattentive
12) Insight Judgement
- good
- fair
- poor
Identify a mental health condition where speech may be changed.
In schizophrenia, pressure of speech (constant rush of words)
Identify a mental health condition where thought process is disorganised.
Psychotic disorder that is not fully controlled
Identify sources of support for mental health problems.
– Self help groups
– Support groups (childline)
– Other local and national resources (e.g. moodcafé in Fife, Samaritans, Mind infoline, own GP, out of hours service, A+E)
– Consider support for family/dependents/carers
Must SIGNPOST if necessary