Organic Mental Disorders

Question 1

Organic Mental Disorders

Answer 1

A group of disorders which have a recognised organic explanation.

Question 2

Common features of Organic Mental Disorders

Answer 2

Cognitive Impairment
Behavioural Abnormalities
Mood changes
Psychotic features

Question 3

Cognitive Impairment

Answer 3

Disorientation
Impaired attention/concentration
Memory (anterograde +/- retrograde amnesia)
Language
Judgement
Insight

Question 4

Behavioural Abnormalities

Answer 4

Agitation, aggression
Slowing, psychomotor retardation
Abnormal social conduct

Question 5

Mood changes

Answer 5

Low mood
Anxiety
Mania

Question 6

Psychotic Features

Answer 6

Hallucinations, commonly visual

Delusions (often persecutory)

Question 7

Acute/Subacute Organic Mental Disorders

Answer 7

Delirium (acute organic confusional state)
Organic mood disorder
Organic psychotic disorder

Question 8

Chronic Mental Disorders

Answer 8

Dementia
Amnesic syndrome
Organic personality change

Question 9

Delirium

Answer 9

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

Question 10

Presenting features of Delirium

Answer 10

Fluctuating levels of arousal (often worse at night)
Impaired attention/concentration
Anterograde memory impairment
Disorientation in time, place or person
Disordered sleep/wake cycle
Increased/decreased psychomotor activity
Disorganised thinking as indicated by rambling, irrelevant or incoherent speech
Perceptual distortions, leading to misidentification, illusions, and hallucinations
Changes in mood such as anxiety, depression and lability

Question 11

Dementia

Answer 11

A syndrome which is characterised by global cognitive impairment which is chronic in nature.

Question 12

Amnesic Syndrome

Answer 12

Preserved global intellectual abilities with anterograde amnesia, retrograde amnesia, preserved registration and preserved procedural memory

Question 13

Causes of Amnesic Syndrome (Hippocampal Damage)

Answer 13

Herpes simplex virus encephalitis
Anoxia
Surgical removal of temporal lobes
Bilateral posterior cerebral artery occlusion
Closed head injury
Early Alzheimer’s disease

Question 14

Causes of Amnesic Syndrome (Diencephalic Damage)

Answer 14

Korsakoff’s syndrome (alcoholic and non-alcoholic)
3rd ventricle tumours and cysts
Bilateral thalamic infarction
Post subarachnoid haemorrhage, especially from anterior communicating artery aneurysms