Physiology and Pathology of Depression, Anxiety, and Schizophrenia

Question 1

List the symptoms of depression

Answer 1

persisting sad, empty mood >2weeks, pessimism, fatigue, suicidal thoughts, loss of interest in activities, feeling worthless

Question 2

What % of Australian’s are affected by depression?

Answer 2

15%

Question 3

What is the mean age of onset of depression?

Answer 3

25-35y/o

Question 4

What is the theorised cause of depression?

Answer 4

deficiency of monoamine NTs

Question 5

What two NTs are found to be increased in people with depression and what effects do they have?

Answer 5

cortisol and glutamate, cause apoptosis and excitotoxicity

Question 6

What strategies might address monoamine deficiency?

Answer 6

Preventing NTs from being taken up back into neuron and from being enzymatically broken down

Question 7

What is the primary action of antidepressants?

Answer 7

inhibition of reuptake

Question 8

What causes the delayed effect of antidepressants and what is the latency of effectiveness?

Answer 8

secondary adaptation of neurons, latency of effectiveness approx 2-4weeks

Question 9

describe electroconvulsive therapy for depression

Answer 9

6-8 generalised seizures under light anaesthesia over 2-3weeks, px treated with muscle paralysing agents

Question 10

Describe anxiety

Answer 10

occurs normally as signal of impending danger, is quite common, causes heightened sympathetic responses in non-fear situations

Question 11

Differentiate between the different classes of anxiety

Answer 11

• Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD): anxious about wide variety of things on most days
  
  • OCD: ongoing unwanted thoughts that cause anx and a need to carry out certain rituals
  • Panic disorder: attacks of intense feelings
  • Social phobia: fear of criticism, embarrassed in everyday situations
  • Specific phobia: fearful about particular object/situation
  • PTSD: bursts of anx after experiencing traumatic event

Question 12

List the symptoms of anxiety

Answer 12

heart palpitations, sweating, difficulty concentrating, irritability, headaches, apprehension, chronic insomnia

Question 13

What is the primary action of anxiety medication?

Answer 13

decrease neuronal and synaptic activity within the CNS

Question 14

Describe psychoses

Answer 14

Px cannot tell what is reality and what isn’t, experience delusions and hallucinations

Question 15

List the contributing factors of Schizophrenia

Answer 15

drug addiction, alcoholism, extreme depression, BI, OD, genetic predisposition

Question 16

Describe what happens in the brain during Schizophrenia

Answer 16

mesolimbic pathway has increased signalling of dopamine -> delusions, hallucinations
mesocortical pathway has decreased activity -> apathy and withdrawl
nigrostriatal pathway is inhibited -> extrapyramidal SE of antipsychotic drugs