(psych) psychiatry through the lifecourse Flashcards
in terms of child and adolescent health, what are the 4 Ps?
predisposing, precipitating, perpetuating and protective factors
by what age do most mental health conditions start?
approx 14 years (but often most cases are undetected and untreated)
what must be considered when a child’s mental health is being assessed?
important to consider developmental age
how is a child’s developmental age assessed?
using Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development
what are Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development?
the theory that personality develops in eight stages through a predetermined order, from infancy to adulthood
the idea that we encounter various crises and by resolving them, we contribute to our psychosocial development
how does the brain develop through childhood and adolesence?
cortex reaches its maximal volume soon after birth
but structural maturation continues through adolesence as grey and white matter have different maturation times
why does maturation continue after the maximum volume is reached by the cortex?
while maximal volume is reached, the structures are not sufficiently developed
structural maturation takes place through adolesence as grey and white matter have different maturation rates
how does grey matter mature?
maximum density of gray matter is reached first in the primary sensorimotor cortex and last in higher association areas such as the prefrontal cortex
how does white matter mature?
volume of white matter increases continually from childhood into early adulthood
how does the prefrontal cortex develop compared to the subcortical areas?
the prefrontal cortex matures later (maxium density reached later) than the cortical areas associated with sensory and motor task
why is adolescence a period of neural imbalance?
due to the early maturation of the sensorimotor cortical areas and the delayed maturation of the prefrontal control areas
how does the neural imbalance affect behaviour during adolesence?
during highly emotional situations, the developed sensorimotor cortical regions (limbic and reward systems) will affect behaviour more than the relatively immature prefrontal control system
what is the age of onset for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?
approx 9.5 years
what is the age of onset for autism spectrum disorder?
approx 5.5 years
what is the age of onset for autism spectrum disorder (ASD)?
approx 5.5 years
what is the age of onset for depression?
approx 19.5
what is the age of onset for anxiety?
approx 5.5
what is the age of onset for obsessive compulsive disorder?
approx 14.5
what is the age of onset for substance misuse?
approx 19.5
a 10 year old girl, doesn’t want to sleep in the room alone, gets raised heart rate, sweating and difficulty breathing in crowded places, and does not like doing presentations in class
what is her diagnosis?
anxiety
due to raised heart rate, tachypnoea in crowded situations
a 10-year-old boy, several attendances to GP and Emergency Department with recurrent abdominal pain, no physical cause found so far
what is his diagnosis?
somatisation disorder
pain but no cause found, could be due to psychological concerns
a 15-year-old young woman with tiredness, sleeping 12 hours/day, irritability, and reduced enjoyment from her hobbies
what is her diagnosis?
depression
due to anhedonia and irritability
a 4-year-old boy whose language is behind peers in class, doesn’t interact much with others, prefers watching buses/trains to playing in the playground
what is his diagnosis?
autism spectrum disorder
lack of interaction w peers and behind in class
an 8-year-old boy who has been fidgeting in lessons, speaking out of turn, and struggling to stay focused on homework tasks
what is his diagnosis?
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
due to fidgeting and struggle to focus
