Psychiatric Disorders Flashcards
Define: wellness
it is based upon the integrated and coordinated function of many Neurotransmitter systems
Define: disorder
Imbalance of the Neurotransmitter systems which impart function and quality of life
Define: Psychiatric disorders
They are CNS diseases characterized by disturbances in emotion, cognition, motivation, and socialization.
How are mental and physical health integrated?
If one’s physical health is suffering, that can lead to low self esteem, unhappiness, and head towards anxiety and depression disorders.
If one’s mental health is suffering, that means that they may not have the motivation to keep their body healthy which will lead to a decrease in physical health.
T or F: every disorder of the same kind is exactly the same (ex. every depression disorder is the same)
False: There is lots of differentiation between cases
How are psychiatric disorders treated?
- hollistic approach
- pharmacologic treatment (drugs)
- non-pharmacologic treatment (ways to improve one’s life that will improve their health)
T or F: co occurrence is very low for anxiety and sleep disorders
False: very high
Can anxiety be good?
Yes - a normal amount of anxiety is healthy. It allows us to prepare for or react to environmental changes. Part of all of us should be adaptive and transient.
When does anxiety become bad?
When it is excessive, it can become persistent, severe, and impair function.
** it is critical to understand the distinction between short term symptom variance vs. an anxiety disorder
What is the criteria to base whether or not someone has an anxiety disorder?
- Excessive anxiety/worry occurring more days than not for about 6 months about a number of different issues.
- The person finds it difficult to control the worry, and both are associated with three or more of the anxiety symptoms.
What are the 6 anxiety symptoms?
- restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge
- being easily fatigued
- difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
- irritability
- muscle tension
- sleep disturbance
Describe dimenhydrinate (Gravol)
- most effective for motion sickness
- an antihistamine, also anticholinergic
- acts as a CNS depressant, often causing drowsiness and sedation side effects
- off-label use as a sleep aid
How many stages of REM sleep are there?
4 (The last 2 are the most restorative sleep to arouse)
T or F: sleep medications do not alter your natural sleep cycles
False - of course they do lol
Explain the difference between REM and Non-REM sleep
Non-REM sleep is enabled by primary serotonergic tracts in medulla and dorsal raphe nucleus.
REM sleep is turned on by cholinergic tracts and turned off by noradrenergic areas
What kind of affect does dopamine have?
alerting
What other chemicals can cause wakefulness?
Norepinephrine, acetylcholine, histamine, substance P, corticotropin releasing factor (cortisol)
What can insomnia be related to?
situational, medical, psychiatric or pharmacologic factors
What types of sleep disorders are there?
- difficulty in falling asleep
- difficulty in maintaining sleep
- non-restorative sleep
When is a sleep disorder deemed to be chronic instead of short term?
usually after 3 weeks
List 11 non-pharmacologic ideas of sleep hygiene that can help aid someone with a sleep disorder
- establish regular times to wake up and go to bed
- sleep only as much as needed to feel rested
- go to bed only when sleepy and avoid long periods of wakefulness in bed
- if you do not fall asleep within 20 minutes, leave the bed and do something relaxing.
- avoid daytime naps
- schedule worry time during the day (don’t take your troubles to bed)
- exercise routinely but not before bed
- minimize sensory stimulatotion in the bedtime (light,sound,temp)
- reduce use of alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine, especially in the evening
- avoid large quantities of liquids in the evening
- do something relaxing and enjoyable before bedtime
What are examples of situational problems that can cause insomnia?
- stressors
- jet lag
- shift work
What are examples of medical problems that can cause insomnia?
- cardiovascular
- respiratory
- pain
- endocrine
- GI
- neurologic
- pregnancy
What are examples of psychological problems that can cause insomnia?
- all disorders
- including substance abuse
