PSYCH TO DO Flashcards
ECT
What are some adverse effects of ECT?
- Short-term retrograde amnesia
- Headache
- Confusion + clumsiness
DEPRESSION
What are 2 theories speculating the causes of depression?
- Stress vulnerability = someone with high vulnerability will withstand less stress before becoming mentally unwell
- Monoamine hypothesis = depression caused by deficiency in monoamines (serotonin, noradrenaline) hence why Tx works
DEPRESSION
What are the biological causes of depression?
- Personal/FHx + genetics
- Personality traits (dependent, anxious, avoidant)
- Physical illness (hypothyroid, anaemia, childbirth)
- Iatrogenic (beta-blockers, steroids, substance misuse)
DEPRESSION
What are the three core symptoms of depression?
- Low mood
- Anhedonia
- Anergia
DEPRESSION
What are some psychological symptoms of depression?
- Guilt, worthlessness, hopelessness
- Self-harm/suicidality
- Low self-esteem
DEPRESSION
What are some cognitive symptoms of depression?
- Beck’s triad = negative views about oneself, the world + the future
- Poor concentration + impaired memory
- Avoiding social contact + performing poorly at work (social Sx too)
DEPRESSION
What are some investigations for depression?
- FBC, ESR, B12/folate, U+Es, LFTs, TFTs, glucose, Ca2+
- ECG, MSE + risk assessment
- Urine drug screen
- PHQ-9 + HADS to screen for depression
DEPRESSION
What is the management of psychotic depression?
- ECT first line + v effective in severe cases followed by antidepressant
- Antipsychotic initiated before antidepressant if ?primary psychotic disorder then add SSRI
DEPRESSION
What is atypical depression?
What is the management?
- Mood depressed but reactive
- Hypersomnia (>10h/day)
- Hyperphagia (excessive eating + weight gain)
- Leaden paralysis (heaviness in limbs ≥1h/day)
- Oversensitivity to perceived rejection
- Phenelzine or another MAOI, if not SSRI
DEPRESSION
What is dysthymia?
What is the management?
- Chronic, low-grade or sub-threshold depressive Sx which don’t meet diagnostic criteria over a long period of time
- Typically >2y of mildly depressed mood + diminished enjoyment, less severe but more chronic
- SSRIs + CBT first line
SELF-HARM + SUICIDE
What are some risk factors for suicide?
SAD PERSONS –
- Sex (M>F)
- Age (peaks in young + old)
- Depression
- Previous attempt
- Ethanol
- Rational thinking loss (psychotic illness)
- Social support lacking (unemployed, homeless)
- Organised plan (avoid discovery, plan, notes, final acts)
- No spouse
- Sickness (physical illness)
0–4 low, 5–6 mod (?hospital), ≥7 high
SELF-HARM + SUICIDE
What are some protective factors for suicide?
- Married men
- Active religious beliefs
- Social support
- Good employment
BIPOLAR DISORDER
What are the 4 types of bipolar?
- Bipolar 1 = mania + depression in equal proportions, M>F
- Bipolar 2 = more episodes of depression, mild hypomania (easy to miss), F>M
- Cyclothymia = chronic mood fluctuations over ≥2y (episodes of depression + hypomania, can be subclinical)
- Rapid cycling = ≥4 episodes of (hypo)mania or depression in 1 year
BIPOLAR DISORDER
What are some potential causes of bipolar?
- Structural brain abnormalities, neurotransmitter imbalances
SCHIZOPHRENIA
What is schizophrenia?
- Splitting or dissociation of thoughts, loss of contact with reality
SCHIZOPHRENIA
What is the neurodevelopmental hypothesis in schizophrenia?
- Hypoxic brain injury, viral infections in-utero, TLE + cannabis smoking = risk of schizophrenia indicating brain development link
- Imaging has showed enlarged ventricles (poor prognostic feature), small amounts of grey matter loss + smaller, lighter brains
SCHIZOPHRENIA
What is the neurotransmitter hypothesis in schizophrenia?
- Excess dopamine + overactivity in mesolimbic tract = +ve Sx
- Lack of dopamine + underactivity in mesocortical tracts = -ve Sx
- Overactivity of dopamine, serotonin, noradrenaline + underactivity of glutamate + GABA
SCHIZOPHRENIA
What are the 6 different types of schizophrenia?
- Paranoid (most common)
- Hebephrenic
- Simple
- Catatonic
- Undifferentiated
- Residual (‘burnt out’)
SCHIZOPHRENIA
What are the features of…
i) catatonic
ii) undifferentiated
iii) residual
schizophrenia?
i) Psychomotor disturbance such as posturing, rigidity + stupor
ii) Sx do not fit neatly into other subtypes
iii) Previous +ve symptoms less marked, prominent -ve Sx
SCHIZOPHRENIA
What are the first rank symptoms of schizophrenia?
What is the relevance?
- Delusional perceptions
- Auditory hallucinations (3 types)
- Thought alienation (insertion, withdrawal + broadcasting)
- Passivity phenomenon, incl. somatic
- ≥1 for at least 1m is strongly suggestive Dx
SCHIZOPHRENIA
What are some secondary symptoms of schizophrenia?
What is the relevance?
- 2nd person auditory or hallucinations in other modalities
- Other delusions (persecutory, reference)
- Formal thought disorder
- Lack of insight
- Negative Sx (incl. catatonia)
- ≥2 for at least 1m is strongly suggestive Dx
SCHIZOPHRENIA
What is the difference between positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia?
- +ve = presence of change in behaviour or thought, something added (all of the first rank + secondary Sx)
- -ve = decline in normal functioning, something removed
SCHIZOPHRENIA
What are the negative symptoms of schizophrenia?
Often early prodromal, 5As –
- Affect blunting, flattening or incongruity
- Anhedonia + amotivation
- Asociality
- Alogia (poverty of speech)
- Apathy
(Delusional mood = ominous feeling of something impending)
SCHIZOPHRENIA
What are some…
i) psychiatric
ii) organic
iii) substance
differentials for schizophrenia?
i) Delusional disorder, transient psychosis, mania, psychotic depression
ii) TLE, encephalitis, delirium, syphilis/HIV, SOL
iii) Drug-induced psychosis, alcoholic hallucinosis, steroid-induced
PARAPHRENIA
What is paraphrenia?
How does it compare to schizophrenia?
- Late-onset schizophrenia >45y
- Less emotional blunting + personality decline, F>M
GAD
What are 3 cardinal features of GAD?
- Symptoms of muscle + psychic tension
- Causes significant distress + functional impairment
- No particular stimulus
GAD
What model can be used to explain the causes of GAD?
Triple vulnerability –
- Generalised biological
- Generalised psychological (diminished sense of control)
- Specific psychological (stressful events)
GAD
What are some organic differentials for GAD?
- Endo = hyperthyroidism, pheochromocytoma, hypoglycaemia
- CVS = arrhythmias, cardiac failure, anti-hypertensives, MI
- Resp = asthma (excessive salbutamol), COPD, PE
GAD
What is the ICD criteria of GAD?
What are the groups of symptoms present in GAD?
- Difficulty controlling worry, present for more days than not for ≥6m
- ≥4 symptoms with ≥1 from autonomic arousal section
- Autonomic arousal, physical, mental, general, tension, other
GAD
What are the investigations for GAD?
- History, MSE + risk assessment
- GAD-7 + Hospital Anxiety + Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaire
- Exclude organic (FBC, U+Es, LFTs, TFTs, fasting glucose, PTH)
PANIC DISORDER
What is panic disorder associated with?
What are some risk factors?
- Meds like SSRIs, BDZs, zopiclone withdrawal
- Widowed, divorced or separated, living in city, limited education, physical or sexual abuse, FHx
PANIC DISORDER
What are the 3 key elements of panic disorder?
- Sudden onset panic attack with ≥4 characterised Sx
- Not necessarily associated with a specific stimulus
- Pt preoccupied with suffering death or severe life-threatening illness
PTSD
What are the 4 core symptoms of PTSD?
How long do they need to be present for to diagnose?
HEAR (≥1m) –
- Hyperarousal
- Emotional numbing
- Avoidance + rumination
- Re-experiencing (involuntary)
ANOREXIA NERVOSA
What is the diagnostic criteria for anorexia?
FEED ≥3m with absence of binge eating –
- Fear of fatness
- Endocrine disturbance
- Extreme weight loss
- Deliberate weight loss
ANOREXIA NERVOSA
How may endocrine disturbance present?
- Amenorrhoea
- Reduced libido/fertility
- Abnormal insulin secretion
- Delayed/arrested puberty if onset pre-pubertal
ANOREXIA NERVOSA
What are some complications of anorexia?
- Osteoporosis, thyroid issues, cardiac atrophy
- Electrolyte disturbances (hypokalaemia > arrhythmias)
- Decrease in WBC > increased infections
- Death due to health complications or suicide