Psych Flashcards
Psychosis
Break from reality involving delusions, perceptual disturbances, and/or disordered thinking
Delusions
Fixed, false beliefs that cannot be altered by rational arguments and cannot be accounted for by the cultural background of the individual.
Types of delusions
Paranoid delusions: irrational belief of persecutions.
Ideas of reference: thinking events are related to individual
Thought broadcasting: others can hear thoughts
Delusions of grandeur: belief of special powers
Delusions of guilt: false belief of responsibility
Hallucinations and associations
Auditory hallucinations: most commonly exhibited by schizophrenic patients.
Visual hallucinations: commonly seen with drug intoxication
Olfactory hallucinations: usually an aura associated with epilepsy
Tactile hallucination: usually secondary to drug abuse or alcohol withdrawal.
Illusion
Misinterpretation of an existing sensory stimulus. eg cat for shadow.
Differential diagnosis of psychosis
Psychosis secondary to general medical condition Substance induced psychotic disorder Delirium/dementia Bipolar disorder MDD w/ psychotic features Schizophreniform disorder Schizoaffective disorder Delusional disorder
Psychosis secondary to general medical condition
CNS disease: CVA, MS, neoplasm, PD, Huntington, temporal lobe epilepsy, encephalitis, prion disease.
Endocrinopathies: Addison/Cushing disease, hyper/hypothyroidism.
Nutritional/Vitamin def: B12, folate, niacin
Other: SLE, temporal arteritis, porphyria
Criteria for psychosis secondary to general medical condition
Prominent hallucinations or delusions
Symptoms do not occur only during episode of delirium
Evidence to support medical cause from lab area data, history, or physical
Psychosis secondary to medication or substance use
Prominent hallucinations or delusions
Symptoms do not occur only during episode of delirium
Evidence to support medication or substance-related cause from lab data, history, or physical
Disturbance is not better accounted for by a psychotic disorder that is not substance-induced
Schizophrenia positive symptoms
Hallucinations
Delusions
Bizarre behavior
Thought disorder
Schizophrenia negative symptoms
Blunted affect
Anhedonia
Apathy
Inattentiveness
Prodromal phase of schizophrenia
Decline in function preceding first psychotic episode, pt becomes socially withdrawn and irritable, w/w/o physical complaints or new found interest in religion
Psychotic phase of schizophrenia
Perceptual disturbances, delusions, and disordered thought process/content
Residual phase of schizophrenia
Occurs between episodes of psychosis. Marked by flat affect, social withdrawal, and odd thinking/behavior (negative symptoms). Note, pts can continue to have hallucinations despite treatment
Three phases of schizophrenia
Prodromal, psychotic, and residual