Psychiatry Flashcards
ADHD, ASD, developmental history, autism, OCD, eating disorders, Depression, PTSD
ASD - Autism Spectrum Disorder Children
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that affects communication and behavior. Autism is known as a “spectrum” disorder because there is wide variation in the type and severity of symptoms people experience.
- Difficulty with communication and interaction with other people
e. g…
- little/inconsistent eye contact
- having facial expressions, movements, gestures that dont match thier topic of conversation
- Having trouble understanding another person’s point of view or being unable to predict or understand other people’s actions
- Having difficulties with the back and forth of conversation
- Restricted interests and repetitive behaviors
e. g…
- Getting upset by slight changes in a routine
- Having a lasting intense interest in certain topics, such as numbers, details, or facts
- Repeating certain behaviors or having unusual behaviors. For example, repeating words or phrases, a behavior called echolalia
3.Symptoms that hurt the person’s ability to function properly in school, work, and other areas of life
ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Children
It isa neurodevelopmental disorder like ASD. Most cases are diagnosed when children are 3 to 7 years old, but sometimes it’s diagnosed later in childhood.People with ADHD may also have additional problems, such as sleep and anxiety disorders.
We don’t what exactly causes ADHD. Other factors suggested as potentially having a role in ADHD include:
being born prematurely (before the 37th week of pregnancy)
having a low birthweight
smoking or alcohol or drug abuse during pregnancy
ADHD can occur in people of any intellectual ability, although it’s more common in people with learning difficulties.
The symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be categorised into 2 types of behavioural problems:
- inattentiveness (difficulty concentrating and focusing)
- having a short attention span and being easily distracted
- making careless mistakes – for example, in schoolwork
- appearing forgetful or losing things
- being unable to stick to tasks that are tedious or time-consuming
- appearing to be unable to listen to or carry out instructions
- constantly changing activity or task
- having difficulty organising tasks - hyperactivity and impulsiveness
- being unable to sit still, especially in calm or quiet surroundings
- constantly fidgeting
- being unable to concentrate on tasks
- excessive physical movement
- excessive talking
- being unable to wait their turn
- acting without thinking
- interrupting conversations
- little or no sense of danger
ADHD - Adults
As ADHD is a developmental disorder, it’s believed it cannot develop in adults without it first appearing during childhood. The way in which inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness affect adults can be very different from the way they affect children. For example, hyperactivity tends to decrease in adults, while inattentiveness tends to remain as the pressures of adult life increase. The symptoms in adults are a lot more subtle than in children:
- carelessness and lack of attention to detail
- continually starting new tasks before finishing old ones
- poor organisational skills
- inability to focus or prioritise
- continually losing or misplacing things
- forgetfulness
- restlessness and edginess
- difficulty keeping quiet, and speaking out of turn
- blurting out responses and often interrupting others
- mood swings, irritability and a quick temper
- inability to deal with stress
- extreme impatience
- taking risks in activities, often with little or no regard for personal safety or the safety of others – for example, driving dangerously
Psychotic disorders
Psychosis is a serious symptom of serious mental illness such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. In a psychotic episode, a person loses touch with reality as other people see it. They might hear voices, see or feel things that aren’t there, feel paranoid or believe things that don’t rationally make sense. These symptoms are there for most of the time for several weeks.
Symptoms of a psychotic epiosde include:
- hallucinations where you see, feel, smell or hear things that aren’t there
- delusions, where you ‘just know’ things that seem unreal to other people e.g. paranoid beliefs that there is a conspiracy against you
- feeling that you’re being followed or your life is in danger
- muddled thinking and difficulty concentrating
- a feeling that you’re being controlled by something outside yourself
feeling like time speeds up or slows down
Bipolar disorder - Children
Bipolar disorder is a condition that affects your moods, which can swing from one extreme to another. If you experience periods of time when you feel very happy or overactive and then feel very low and depressed you may be affected by bipolar disorder. These feelings can last for a few days or sometimes weeks.
Symptoms of bipolar disorder include:
- extreme mood swings
- manic episodes, which can involve talking a lot, racing thoughts, over confidence and increased activity
- low mood
- difficulty concentrating
- decreased energy
- sleep problems - feeling like you hardly need sleep or having difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
- reduced appetite
- thoughts of self-harm
- psychosis - if manic, this might consist of beliefs that you have special powers or abilities
Mood disorders - children
As stated in the name these disorders that encompass extreme changs in e.g. depression and bipolar disorder. Depression happens on a sliding scale from mild through to severe. Sometimes it’s so overwhelming it stops you from doing anything at all. It can also be a symptom or part of other illnesses, for example people with bipolar disorder can move between periods of depression and periods of hypomania (feeling high, on top of the world, and feeling capable of doing virtually anything).
When you’re depressed you may:
- feel tired and lack energy
- struggle to sleep or sleeping excessively
- lose interest in things you normally enjoy
- put on or lose weight
- get easily bad-tempered
- not want to hang out with friends
- feelings of worthlessness
Sadly, some people get to a point where they feel life’s hardly worth living anymore.
Anxiety disorders - Children
Anxiety is a normal human response to feeling threatened or in danger, even if that threat or danger is a thought, image or memory. We all experience anxiety from time to time. Anxiety can become a real problem if the thoughts, emotions (feelings) and physical sensations are very strong, happen even when there is no real danger or if it lasts for a long time.
Some of the symptoms of anxiety include:
- Worries about what other people think of you or worries about being judged negatively and not feeling good enough
- Worries about bad things happening to you or the people you love and care about
- Uncontrollable constant worry about lots of things (like school, the future, health, world events)
- Worries about your safety and health (including worries about germs and contamination)
- Phobias (big fears) about specific things
- Worries that you are responsible for bad things happening
- Feeling the need to complete certain routines, rituals or behaviour to stop bad things from happening (commonly known as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
Some of the physical manifestations of anxiety include:
- overwhelming fear
- nervousness
- trembles or shakes
- tummy aches
- a racing heart
- a tight chest
- panic attacks
- problems with sleeping
- weight loss
- breathing difficulties
- difficulties concentrating
- a short temper
The five types of anxiety disorders include:
1. Generalised Anxiety Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder, GAD, is an anxiety disorder characterized by chronic anxiety, exaggerated worry and tension, even when there is little or nothing to provoke it.
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, OCD, is an anxiety disorder and is characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors (compulsions). Repetitive behaviors such as hand washing, counting, checking, or cleaning are often performed with the hope of preventing obsessive thoughts or making them go away. Performing these so-called “rituals,” however, provides only temporary relief, and not performing them markedly increases anxiety.
- Panic Disorder
Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder and is characterized by unexpected and repeated episodes of intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms that may include chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, or abdominal distress.
- PTSD
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic events that may trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents, or military combat.
- Social Anxiety Disorder
Social Phobia, or Social Anxiety Disorder, is an anxiety disorder characterized by overwhelming anxiety and excessive self-consciousness in everyday social situations. Social phobia can be limited to only one type of situation - such as a fear of speaking in formal or informal situations, or eating or drinking in front of others - or, in its most severe form, may be so broad that a person experiences symptoms almost anytime they are around other people.
