Organic Disorders Flashcards
What are organic disorders?
Due to common, demonstrable aetiology in cerebral disease, brain injury, or other insult leading to cerebral dysfunction
Acquired
Distinction from from “functional” mental illness
What is a primary organic disorder?
Direct effect on the brain
What is a secondary organic disorder?
Systemic diseases that affect the brain in addition to other systems/organs (endocrine/substances)
What causes functional psychiatric illness?
Brain dysfunction
Acute/sub-acute organic mental disorders
Delirium
Organic mood disorder
Organic psychotic disorder
Chronic organic mental disorders
Dementia
Amnesic syndrome
Organic personality change
What is delirium?
A state of mental confusion that can happen if you become medically unwell
What are the presenting features of delirium?
Impairment of consciousness and attention Global disturbance of cognition Psychomotor disturbances Disturbance of sleep-wake cycle Emotional disturbance Rapid onset Diurnally fluctuating Duration less than 6 months
Causes of delirium
Medications Drug abuse Withdrawal symptoms Vitamin deficiencies Endocrinopathies Infections Neurological causes Toxins and industrial exposures
Management of delirium
Treat underlying causes
What is the difference between delirium and encephalopathy?
Delirium describes psychiatric presentation, encephalopathy describes underlying process e.g.
Hepatic
Wernicke’s
HIV
What is the cause of Wernicke’s encephalopathy?
Thiamine deficiency
Triad of Wernicke’s encephalopathy presentation
Ophthalmoparesis with nystagmus
Ataxia
Confusion
What is opthalmoparesis?
Weakness or paralysis of one or more extraocular muscles
What is ataxia?
A group of disorders that affect co-ordination, balance and speech
