Passmed psych Flashcards
Side effects of TCAs?
Dry mouth (anticholinergic) and weight gain (antihistaminic)
Urinary retention
Why should SSRIs and MAOIs never be mixed?
Risk of serotonin syndrome
Difference between depression and dementia presentation?
Depression - global memory loss rather than short-term (pseudodementia)
What is word salad and what is it associated with?
Disorganised speech - mania and psychosis
Acute stress disorder vs PTSD?
Acute stress <4w but PTSD >4w
What common symptom can TCAs cause?
Urinary retention
Management of PTSD?
CBT, EMDR
Drugs - SSRI or venlaxafine
Are men or women more likely to be successful in a suicide attempt?
Men
What suggests depression over dementia?
Sleep disturbance, stress triggers and normal MMSE with global memory
What is the 666 rule for SSRIs?
Wait 6 weeks to take effect
Continue for 6 months to stabilise and avoid relapse
Takes at least 6 weeks for the washout period in order to avoid adverse effects
What is somatisation disorder?
Multiple physical symptoms that can’t be explained by any medical condition
What is the life threatening side effect of clozapine and how is it monitored?
Agranulocytosis/neutropenia - FBC
What is the cutoff for severe depression in the PHQ-9?
16
Which SSRI is the most likely to prolong QT and cause torsades de pointes?
Citalopram
What is borderline personality disorder associated with?
History of recurrent self-harm and intense interpersonal relationships that alternate between idealisation and devaluation
1st line drug for GAD?
Sertraline
How does Wernicke’s encephalopathy present?
Gait ataxia, ophthalmoplegia and nystagmus
How does Korsakoff’s syndrome present?
Retrograde/anterograde amnesia and confabulation
What is De Clerambault’s syndrome?
Ertomania -form of paranoid delusion with an amarous quality. The patient is oftena single woman who believes that a famous person is in love with her
What is delusional parasitosis?
Fixed, false belief (delusion) that they’re infested by bugs
What is Hoover’s sign used for? What is the test?
Differentiating organic from non-organic leg paresis.
-Non-organic: pressure is felt under paretic leg when lifting non-paretic leg against pressure due to involuntary contralateral hip extension
How is hypomania characterised?
Elevated mood, pressured speech and flight of ideas without psychotic symptoms
What is the risk of schizophrenia for an affected monozygotic twin?
50% - suggests genetics play a vital role in schizophrenia development
Most common SE of atypical antipsychotics?
Weight gain
What is akathisia?
Sense of inner restlessness and inability to keep still
Management for more severe depression?
Individual CBT and antidepressant
What symptoms are seen in SSRI discontinuation syndrome?
GI - diarrhoea
What are the risks of antipsychotics in the elderly?
Increased risk of stroke and VTE
Common side effect of electroconvulsive therapy?
Memory impairment - retrograde amnesia
What is the difference between retrograde and anterograde amnesia?
Retrograde - can’t recall memories from past
Anterograde - can’t form new memories but can still remember things from before amnesia development
What is the risk of zopiclone in the elderly?
Falls
In GAD, what do you use if sertraline is ineffective/not tolerated?
Try another SSRI or SNRI
What is cotard syndrome?
Characterised by a person believing they’re dead or non-existent
Short-term SE of ECT?
Arrhythmia, headache, nausea, memory loss/impairment
How does tardive kinesis present?
Chewing, jaw-pouting, excessive blinking
Three common features of PTSD?
Re-experiencing, avoidance, hyperarousal
What is circumstantiality?
Long-winded answer but comes back around eventually whereas tangentiality is when the answer goes off in one direction forever
What is echolalia?
Repetition of someone else’s speech including the questions being asked (feature of schizophrenia - typically catatonic)
What is a neologism?
A made up word
What is palilalia?
Automatic repetition of one’s own words, phrases or sentences
What is echopraxia?
Meaningless repetition or imitation of the movements of others
What is copropraxia?
Involuntary performing of obscene or forbidden gestures or inappropriate touching
What is a characteristic physical finding of anorexia nervosa?
Lanugo hair
What should patients with OCD and severe functional impairment?
Referred to the secondary care mental health team - treatment can be started while waiting assessment
What is Münchausen’s syndrome?
Purposefully causing symptoms for personal gain
What is functional neurological disorder?
Conversion disorder - involves loss of motor or sensory function
What happens when there is poor oral compliance with antipsychotics?
Switch to IM antipsychotics (depot) - usually once monthly
What is Othello syndrome?
Delusional jealousy
What is the SSRI of choice for children and adolescents?
Fluoxetine
What is the first line treatment for young people with anorexia?
Anorexia focused family therapy
How is acute dystonia managed when secondary to antipsychotics?
Procyclidine
What are the symptoms of SSRI discontinuation syndrome?
Dizziness, electronic shock sensations, anxiety
What is the acute management of mania/hypomania in patients taking antidepressants?
Consider stopping antidepressant and starting antipsychotics
When starting ECT treatment on antidepressants, what should be done?
Antidepressants reduced not stopped
Which drug can you give to reverse benzodiazepines?
Flumenazil
When taking SSRI and NSAID what else should be prescribed and why?
A PPI
What’s a good type of therapy for patients with OCD and why?
Exposure and response prevention - exposing them to an anxiety-provoking situation
What are the useful side effects on mirtazapine?
SNRI - sedation and increased appetite (better eating and sleeping)
What are the metabolic side effects of antipsychotics?
Dysglycaemia, dyslipidaemia and diabetes mellitus
What are the first rank symptoms of schizophrenia?
Thought broadcasting, thought withdrawal, delusional perceptions and auditory hallucinations
What is the strongest risk factor for psychotic disorders?
Family history
Before diagnosing GAD, what is important to rule out?
Hyperthyroidism
What is a GI side effect of clozapine?
Constipation, intestinal obstruction
Which type of antidepressants give the most antimuscarinic SEs?
TCAs - dry mouth and blurred vision
Are pseudohallucinations common after grief?
Yes - doesn’t imply psychosis
What is an important investigation in elderly patients with sudden-onset psychosis?
CT head - rule out organic cause
What is the difference between Knight’s move thinking and flight of ideas?
Knight’s move - illogical leaps from one idea to another
Flight of ideas - links from one idea to another
What is the link between clozapine and seizures?
Clozapine reduces the seizure threshold making seizures more likely
What is illness anxiety disorder?
Persistent belief in the presence of an underlying disease
What is Charles-Bonnet syndrome associated with?
Age related macular degeneration
What is Charles-Bonnet syndrome?
Persistent or recurrent complex hallucinations (visual or auditory) occurring in clear consciousness. Generally against a background of visual impairment. Insight usually preserved. Occurs in absence of other psychiatric disorders
Circadian rhythm in schizophrenia?
Disturbed
Which antidepressant increases the risk of suicide the most at the start of treatment?
Venlaxafine (but all of them do)
Feature of avoidant personality disorder?
Fearful of criticism, being unliked, rejected and ridiculed