Organic disorders

Question 1

Functional psychiatric disorder

Answer 1

disturbance of the functioning of the brain

Question 2

Organic mental disorders

Answer 2

demonstrable organic brain damage or mental disorder arising in the context of demonstrable physical disease

Question 3

Problems with distinguishing between function and organic mental disorders

Answer 3

many functional psychiatric disorders have organic basis eg schizophrenia
Many present with mixed features eg depression
physical disorders also have effect on psychological functioning

Question 4

Difference between organic mental disorders and learning disability

Answer 4

These are acquired

Question 5

Organic mental disorder - primary and secondary

Answer 5

secondary eg endocrine, substance misuse

Question 6

4 common features

Answer 6

cognitive impairment
behavioural abnormality
mood changes
psychotic features

Question 7

Cognitive impairment

Answer 7

disorientation 
impaired attention 
memory 
language 
judgement 
insight

Question 8

Behavioural abnormalities

Answer 8

agitation, aggression
slowing, psychomotor retardation
abnormal social conduct

Question 9

Mood changes

Answer 9

low mood
anxiety
mania

Question 10

Psychotic features

Answer 10

hallucinations - visual

delusions (persecutory)

Question 11

acute/subacute organic mental disorders

Answer 11

delirium
organic mood disorder
organic psychotic disorder

Question 12

Chronic organic mental disorder

Answer 12

dementia
amnesic syndrome
organic personality change

Question 13

Delirium

Answer 13

Transient organic mental syndrome of acute or subacute onset which is characterised by global cognitive impairment

Question 14

Presenting features of delirium

Answer 14

impaired attention 
anterograde amnesia 
fluctuating arousal 
disturbed sleep/wake cycle
psychomotor activity 
hallucinations 
changes in mood 
disorganised thinking - speech
disorientation in place, time or person

Question 15

Causes of delirium

Answer 15

infection 
medications 
alcohol/drug withdraw
drug abuse 
metabolic 
vitamin deficiencies 
SLE 
dehydration

Question 16

Dementia

Answer 16

Syndrome characterised by global cognitive impairment which is chronic. Underlying brain pathology variable and usually progressive

Question 17

Types of dementia

Answer 17

alzheimers 
vascular 
lewy body 
fronto-temporal 
Other eg head injury, Huntington's, parkinson's

Question 18

Amnesic syndrome characteristics

Answer 18

preserved global intellect
anterograde amnesia 
retrograde amnesia 
preserved working memory
preserved procedural/implicit memory

Question 19

Causes of amnesic syndrome (2)

Answer 19

hippocampal damage

diencephalic damage

Question 20

Amnesic syndrome - hippocampal damage

Answer 20

HSV encephalitis 
anoxia 
surgical removal or temporal lobes 
closed head injury 
early alzheimers

Question 21

Amnesic syndrome - diencephalic

Answer 21

3rd ventricle tumours/cysts
post SAH
Korsakoff’s syndrome

Question 22

Other terms for organic mental disorder

Answer 22

organic brain syndrome
organic brain disease
symptomatic mental disorder

Question 23

Medications - delirium

Answer 23

steroids

opioids