Psychiatry Flashcards
What are addictive behaviours?
Repeated behaviours that dominant a patient’s life to the detriment of social/occupational/material/family values and commitments
What are risk factors for addictive behaviours?
- Stress
- Fhx
- Peer pressure
- Low self esteem
- Anxiety
- Previous abuse
What are some common addictive behaviours?
- Gambling
- Eating
- Internet
- Sex
- Shopping
- Alcohol/drug use
- Smoking/nicotine use
What is the pathophysiology of addiction?
Mediated via the mesolimbic dopamine reward pathway
What are clinical features of addiction?
- Continuation despite harm
- Difficulty to stop
- Withdrawal symptoms if stopped
- Denial of problem
- Hiding behaviour
- Vocational/social/recreational activities given up/reduced because of addiction
What is the management for addictive behaviours?
- CBT
- Support groups e.g. alcoholics anonymous
- Aversion therapy
- Self-control training
- Managed detox
Describe ADHD
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Characterised by inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness
- Usually manifests before the age of 7
- More common in males
- Risks = genetics/prematurity/foetal alcohol syndrome
- Symptoms of impaired attention, hyperactivity and/or impulsivity
- Symptoms evident in more than one situation e.g. school and home
- Symptoms present for at least 6 months
- CNS stimulant = methylphenidate (ritalin)
What are 3 situations in which ADHD may be falsely diagnosed?
- Age-appropriate behaviours in young active children
- Children placed in academic settings inappropriate to their intellectual ability e.g. due to intellectual disabilities/highly intelligent children
- Other mental illness e.g. pervasive developmental disorder, depression
What other medications may be used for ADHD?
- CNS stimulants - blocks reuptake up dopamine and noradrenaline:
- Methylphenidate (ritalin)
- Dexamphetamine
- Lisdexamfetamine
Non-stimulants:
- Atomoxetine
- Guanfacine
What is ADD?
- Attention deficit disorder
- Difficulties with concentration without the presence of other ADHD symptoms e.g. impulsiveness/hyperactivity
What are some side effects of methylphenidate?
- Growth suppression association (6 months height and weight)
- Anxiety
- Increased BP
- Arrhythmias
- Appetite loss
What is anxiety?
Subjective, unpleasant sense of unease and worry of something bad happening
Describe GAD
- Generalised anxiety disorder
- Excessive worry/feelings of apprehension about everyday events/problems
- More common in females
- Nervousness
- Restlessness/irritability
- Easily fatigued
- Difficulty concentrating/’mind blank’
- Muscle tension
- Sleep disturbance
- Sweating/palpitations/dry mouth
- Excessive anxiety/worry about everyday events/activities and difficulty controlling worry for >6 months
- Causes significant distress/impairment in social/occupational/other areas of functioning
- At least 3 associated symptoms
- GAD-7 questionnaire
- Counselling/CBT
- SSRI
What is a panic attack and what is the management?
- Short lived episode (approximately 20 minutes) characterised by severe anxiety, palpitations, rapid breathing and existential fears
- SSRI
- Beta blocker
Describe panic disorder
- Recurrent, episodic, severe panic attacks that are unpredictable and not restricted to particular situations/circumstances
- More common in females
- Symptoms peak within 10 minutes (crescendo)
PANICSD: - Palpitations
- Abdominal distress
- Numbness/nausea
- Intense fear of death
- Choking/chest pain
- Sweating/shaking/SOB
- Depersonalisationn/derealisation
- SSRIs
- TCAs
- CBT and self-help methods
What is phobic anxiety?
Recurring excessive and unreasonable symptoms of anxiety in the (anticipated) presence of specific feared objects, situations or person leading, wherever possible, to avoidance
What are features of phobic anxiety?
- Anticipatory anxiety
- Palpations/sweating/trembling
- SOB/chest pain
- Dizziness
- Chills/hot flushes
What is the management for phobic anxiety?
- Behavioural therapy e.g. graded exposure therapy
- Benzodiazepines
- Education/anxiety management
Describe PTSD
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Intense, prolonged, delayed reaction following exposure to an exceptionally traumatic event
- Reliving the situation
- Avoidance (of reminders)
- Hyperarousal (irritability/outbursts)
- Emotional numbing
(May also have dissociative amnesia) - Exposure to traumatic event
- Features present within 6 months
- Features last >1 month
- Trauma screening questionnaire (TSQ)
- Trauma focused CBT
- Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR)
- Sertraline/venlafaxine
- Zopiclone (for sleep disturbance)
What is the difference between typical and complex PTSD?
Typical = arises after a traumatic episode and is generally related to a single traumatic event
Complex = related to a series of traumatic events over time or one prolonged event
Describe OCD
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
- Chronic condition associated with marked anxiety and depression, characterised by ‘obsessions’ and/or ‘compulsions’
- Obsessions –> anxiety –> compulsive behaviour –> temporary improvement in anxiety –> obsession then reappears
- Associated with other mental health conditions
- Presence of either obsessions/compulsions/both
- Are time consuming (>1hr/day) or cause significant distress/functional impairment
- Patient recognises them to be excessive/unreasonable
- CBT
- Exposure and response prevention (ERP)
- Behavioural therapy/psychotherapy
- SSRI, TCA (clomipramine)
What is an obsession?
An idea/image/impulse recognised by patient as their own but which is experienced as repetitive, unwanted, intrusive and distressing. Patients may try to resist but this often causes a lot of anxiety
What is a compulsion?
A behaviour/action recognised by patient as unnecessary and purposeless but which they cannot resist performing repeatedly
What is a phobia?
Fear of a specific situation/object
What is agoraphobia?
Fear of public spaces e.g. shops
What is social phobia?
Fear of social situations/scrutiny/being ridiculed in social situations
What is the management for phobias?
- CBT
- Exposure therapy
- Potentially SSRI ?
What is ASD?
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Neuro-developmental disorder characterised by abnormal social interaction, communication and restricted, repetitive behaviours
Describe the epidemiology of ASD
- More common in males
- Infantile autism associated with development of seizures in adolescence
Describe the autistic spectrum
- On one end, patients have normal intelligence and ability to function in everyday life but displaying difficulties with reading emotions and responding to others (previously known as Asperger syndrome)
- On the other end, patients can be severely affected and unable to function in normal environments
What are the 3 main features of ASD?
- Social interaction deficits
- Communication deficits
- Behaviour deficits
What is bipolar disorder/bipolar affective disorder?
Depression and mania/hypomania occurring in episodes usually with months separating them
Describe the epidemiology of bipolar disorder
Bimodal distribution with peaks at 15-24 years and 45-54 years
What are risk factors for bipolar disorder?
- Genetics/family history
- Prenatal exposure to toxoplasma gondii
- Premature birth (<32 weeks)
- Childhood maltreatment
- Traumatic life events/experiences
- Postpartum period
- Cannabis use
What is the difference between mania and hypomania?
Mania = elevated/expansive/euphoric/irritable mood with >3 characteristic symptoms on most days for >1 week - often occurs with psychotic symptoms
Hypomania = >3 characteristic symptoms lasting >4 days and present most of the day, almost every day - essentially less severe mania without psychosis
What are the types of bipolar disorder?
Bipolar I = episodes of depression, mania or mixed states separated by periods of normal mood
Bipolar II = episodes of depression, hypomania or mixed states (no mania)
What is cyclothymic disorder?
- Condition related to bipolar disorder
- Recurring mild depressive and hypomanic states
- Lasts for at least 2 years
- Does not meet the diagnostic threshold for a major affective episode
What medications can cause medication-induced mania/hypomania?
- TCAs
- SNRIs
- SSRIs
- Benzodiazepines
- Antipsychotics
- Lithium
- Anti-Parkinsonian medications e.g. AChE inhibitors (rivastigmine)
What are the investigations for bipolar disorder?
- Bloods (FBC, U&Es, LFTs, TFTs, CRP, B12, folate. vitamin D, ferritin)
- HIV testing
- Physical examination (neuro exam)
- CT/MRI head
What are differential diagnoses for bipolar disorder?
- Schizophrenia
- Organic brain disorder
- Drugs
- Recurrent depression
- Emotionally unstable/borderline personality disorder (EUPD/BPD)
- Cyclothymia
What is the management for bipolar disorder?
Maintenance = lithium
Mood stabilisers = lithium, sodium valproate, carbamazepine
Depression = SSRIs
Psychotic symptoms = antipsychotics
Acute mania = quetiapine + lithium + benzodiazepine
Psychoeducation/CBT/IPT/support groups
What is the RC?
Responsible clinician - approved clinician with overall responsibility of the patient’s care. Only the RC can make certain decisions e.g. discharge from section, S17 leave, consent to treatment
What are SOADs?
Second opinion appointed doctors - doctors external to the organisation and appointed by the care quality commission (CQC). They review the treatment plans for patients who are detained for >3 months who do not have capacity to consent to or are refusing treatment
What is a mental health tribunal?
Legal proceedings that decide whether a patient should be discharged from their section or not
What is a S12 approved doctor?
A doctor (usually a senior psych trainee or consultant but occasionally a GP) who has undergone the accredited training to complete mental health act assessments
When can a patient be detained?
If they have a mental disorder that poses significant risk to themselves or others, and treatment in the community is not possible because of this
What is a AMHP?
Approved mental health practitioner - professional who has undergone the training to take part in mental health act assessment and can be from any background (usually social workers) but importantly CANNOT be doctors
What is a section 2?
- Admission for assessment for up to 28 days
- Requires MHA assessment - 1 AMHP + 2 section 12 approved doctors
- Cannot be renewed
- Can be transferred to section 3
- Patient can be treated against their wishes
- Patients can appeal within first 14 days
What is a section 3?
- Admission for assessment for up to 6 months days
- Requires MHA assessment - 1 AMHP + 2 section 12 approved doctors
- Can be renewed for 6 months then annually
- Patient can be treated against their wishes - proposed treatment plan for mental disorder required
- Patients can appeal once per period of detention
What is a section 5(2)?
- Holding power of informal patients by doctors
- MHA not required
- Lasts 72 hours
- Not renewable
- Patients cannot appeal
What is a section 5(4)?
- Holding power of informal patients by nurses
- MHA not required
- Lasts 6 hours (time for doctor to arrive)
- Not renewable
- Patients cannot appeal
What is a section 136?
- Allows police to detain an individual they believe is suffering from a mental disturbance in a public place and take them to a place of safety (usually ED or 136 suite)
- Maximum 72 hours detention to allow MHA assessment
What is a section 135?
- Warrant for search for and removal of patients in private premises
- Issued by magistrates
- Patient taken to a place of safety
What is a community treatment order?
- Patients under section 3 can be discharged from hospital subject to them being liable to be recalled to hospital if required
- Specific conditions to which the patient must adhere
What is a section 17?
Authorised leave from hospital
What is a section 117?
- Statutory duty on health and social services to provide aftercare for those detained under section 3
What is nearest relative?
- Not next of kin - determines a proxy to act as a safety mechanism within the MHA
1. Husband/wife/civil partner
2. Son/daughter
3. Mother/father
4. Brother/sister - Can apply to section patient
- Can object to section/appeal to tribunal
What is mental capacity?
The ability to understand information and make decisions about one’s life or the ability to communicate decisions about one’s life
Describe the Mental Capacity Act (2005)
- All adults are assumed to have capacity
- Capacity can fluctuate
- If capacity is questioned, patients need to meet the criteria:
1. Understand the options
2. Retain information
3. Weigh up pros and cons
4. Communicate decision
What is lasting power of attorney?
Patients can legally nominate a person of their choice to make decisions based on their behalf if they lack mental capacity
What is Deprivation of liberty safeguards (DoLS)?
- Application made by a hospital or care home for patients who lack capacity to allow them to provide care and treatment
- Whilst in hospital or a care home, the patient is under control and not able to leave
What is an illusion?
Misinterpretation of real stimulus in the context of emotional state e.g. misperceiving a shadow on the wall as an intruder
What is a hallucination?
Internal experiences/perceptions without an external stimulus. Can be visual/auditory/tactile/olfactory/gustatory
What is a pseudo-hallucination?
A type of illusion when feelings of anxiety or fear are projected on external objects e.g. misperceiving a shadow on the wall as an intruder
What is an over-valued idea?
A false belief that is maintained despite strong evidence that it is untrue - similar to delusions but may seem less strange and have an element of truth
What is a delusion?
A false, unshakeable idea/belief that is firmly held despite evidence to the contrary that is not consistent with the person’s educational, cultural and social background
What is a delusional perception?
A true perception to which a patient attributes a false meaning e.g. traffic light turns red is interpreted by patient as martians about to land (schizophrenia)
What is concrete thinking?
More literal form of thinking that focuses on the physical world - take information at face value without thinking beyond or generalising the information to other meanings/situations
What is loosening of association?
Lack of connection between ideas - thoughts may appear loosely connected or unrelated (schizophrenia)
What is circumstantiality?
Circuitous and non-direct thinking or speech that digresses from the main point of conversation (but finally makes its way back to the main point)
What is perseveration?
Persistent and inappropriate repetition of the same thought via speech or actions (frontal lobe dysfunction)
What is confabulation?
Memory error consisting of the production of fabricated/distorted/misinterpreted memories about oneself or the world e.g. person with dementia tells a story about their childhood which isn’t true but they think it is
What is somatic passivity?
a.k.a passivity phenomena
The belief that outside influences are playing on the body - the event is experienced as alien by the patient in that it is not experienced by the patient as their own but inserted into the self from outside
What is pressure of speech?
Unusually rapid, abundant and varied speech (mania)
What is anhedonia?
Lack of interest, enjoyment or pleasure from life’s experiences
What is incongruity of affect?
Emotion is inappropriate to content of speech
What is blunting of affect?
Difficulty expressing emotions, characterised by diminished facial expressions/expressive gestures/vocal expressions in reaction to emotion provoking stimuli
What is belle indifference?
Apparent lack of concern shown by some patients towards their symptoms - often regarded as typical of conversion symptoms/hysteria
What is depersonalisation and derealisation?
Depersonalisation = feeling of being outside oneself and observing own actions, feelings or thoughts from a distance
Derealisation = feeling that the world is unreal
What is thought alienation?
Thoughts are no longer within patient’s control (insertion/withdrawal/broadcast)
What is thought insertion?
Thoughts have been implanted by an external agency
What is thought withdrawal?
Thoughts have been taken away
What is thought broadcast?
Thoughts are known to others via telepathy or the media
What is thought echo?
Patient hears their own thoughts as if they were being spoken aloud
What is thought block?
Mind suddenly becomes empty of thoughts (paranoid schizophrenia)
What is akathisia?
Inability to remain still
What are made acts, feelings and drives?
The delusional belief that one’s free will has been removed and an external agency is controlling one’s actions and feelings
What is clouding of consciousness?
a.k.a brain fog
Inattention and reduced wakefulness
What is catatonia/stupor?
State in which someone is awake but does not seem to respond to other people and their environment/state of near unconsciousness or insensibility
What is flight of ideas?
Thoughts are moving so quickly that one train of thought is not completed before the next one starts thus the topic might be difficult to follow
What is psychomotor retardation?
Slowing down of thought and a reduction of physical movements in an individual - can cause a visible slowing of physical and emotional reactions including speech and affect
What is formal thought disorder?
Disorganised thinking evidenced in speech (psychosis and schizophrenia)
What is conversion/dissociation?
Conversion = emotional stress manifests as physical symptoms
Dissociation = mental process of disconnecting from one’s thoughts/feelings/memories/sense of identity
What is a mannerism?
Normal actions carried out in peculiar fashions, usually in an attempt to draw attention to oneself (schizophrenia)
What is a stereotyped behaviour?
Repetitive movements or sounds carried out by individuals with cognitive dysfunction or severely impaired sensory function
What is substance misuse?
The consumption of substances that leads to the involvement of social/psychological/physical/legal problems
What is alcohol dependence?
Craving, tolerance and preoccupation with alcohol with continued drinking in spite of harmful consequences
Describe the epidemiology of alcohol misuse
- 5th biggest risk factor for death across all ages
- More common in males
- Recommended units = 14 units/week spread evenly over 3 days or more
How do you calculate units of alcohol?
ABV x volume (ml) / 1000
What are risk factors for alcohol misuse?
- Male
- Genetics/family history
- Occupation
- Cultural influences
- Cost of drinks
- Social reinforcement/association
- Chronic illness
- Traumatic life event
What are clinical features of intoxication?
- Slurred/impaired speech
- Ataxia/impaired coordination
- Impaired judgement
- Labile affect
- Hypoglycaemia
- Stupor
- Coma
What are signs of alcohol dependence?
CANT STOP
- Compulsion to drink
- Aware of harms
- Neglect of other activities
- Tolerance
- Stopping causes withdrawal
- Time preoccupied with alcohol
- Out of control use
- Persistent, futile wish to cut down
SAW DRINk
- Subjective awareness of compulsion to drink
- Avoidance/relief of withdrawal by further drinking
- Withdrawal sx
- Drink-seeking behaviour
- Reinstatement of drinking after attempted abstinence
- Increased tolerance
- Narrowing of drinking repertoire
What are signs of alcohol withdrawal?
Appear 6-12 hours after last drink
- Malaise/sweating
- Tremor
- Nausea/vomiting/diarrhoea
- Insomnia
- Irritability/anxiety
- Transient hallucinations
- Seizures (tonic clonic)
- Palpitations
What medical emergency can alcohol withdrawal lead to?
Delirium tremens - 72 hours after alcohol cessation
What are clinical features of delirium tremens?
- Cognitive impairment
- Lilliputian hallucination (spiders/snakes/tiny figures)
- Paranoid delusions
- Tremor
- Fever/sweating
- Tachycardia
- Dehydration
What is the treatment for delirium tremens?
IV pabrinex and lorazepam
What are the investigations for alcohol misuse?
- History and MSE
- Physical exam (signs of chronic liver disease e.g. palmar erythema, spider naevi, etc.)
- Questionnaires (AUDIT, CAGE, SADQ, FAST)
- CT head
- ECG
- Bloods
What is the acute treatment for alcohol misuse/abuse (detoxification)?
Chlordiazepoxide (benzodiazepine), IV pabrinex, water and food (protein-rich, high calorie diet)
What is pabrinex and why is it used for alcohol misuse/abuse/withdrawal?
Synthetic thiamine/vitamin B1 - chronic alcohol consumption causes deficiency (leads to Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome)
What 3 medications are used for maintenance/relapse prevention in alcohol withdrawal?
- Acamprosate (reduces cravings)
- Naltrexone (reduces pleasurable effects of alcohol)
- Disulfiram (causes unpleasant symptoms when drinking)
What are other management plans for alcohol withdrawal?
- Motivational interviewing/CBT
- Support groups e.g. alcoholics anonymous
What is Wernicke’s encephalopathy?
Acute neurological condition characterised by a triad of confusion, ataxia and oculomotor dysfunction
What is Korsakoff syndrome?
Chronic amnesia syndrome characterised by defects in both anterograde and retrograde memory
What are the causes of Wernicke’s encephalopathy?
Thiamine/vitamin B1 deficiency due to:
- Chronic alcoholism
- Prolonged fasting/starvation
- Anorexia nervosa
- Hyperemesis gravidarum
- Systemic malignancy
- End-stage renal failure
- GI disease/malabsorption
What are the causes of Korsakoff syndrome?
Untreated Wernicke’s encephalopathy
What are clinical features of Wernicke’s encephalopathy?
- Ataxia
- Delirium/confusion
- Ophthalmoplegia/nystagmus
What are clinical features of Korsakoff syndrome?
- Irreversible short term memory loss
- Confabulation
- Time disorientation
How is Wernicke’s encephalopathy/Korsakoff syndrome treated?
IV pabrinex
What are the complications of Wernicke’s encephalopathy?
- Permanent horizontal nystagmus
- Inability to walk
- Deficit in learning/memory
What are the complications of Korsakoff syndrome?
Permanent neurological damage - recovery is rare
- Progressive reduced level of consciousness
- Coma
- Death
Describe the epidemiology of substance abuse
- Most common are alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy
- Other common substances are tobacco, benzos, stimulants, hallucinogens, solvents
Describe the pathophysiology of depressants
Act on GABA - main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain
What are the 5 main categories of drugs?
- Opioids (heroin/morphine/codeine)
- Stimulants (cocaine/caffeine/amphetamines/caffeine)
- Depressants (alcohol/benzodiazepines)
- Cannabinoids (cannabis)
- Hallucinogens (magic mushrooms/PCP/LSD)
What are risk factors for substance abuse?
- Genetics
- Environmental stressors
- Social pressures
- Psychiatric problems
What are indications of substance abuse?
- Desire for substance
- Preoccupation with substance use
- Withdrawal state
- Incapability to control substance
- Tolerance to substance
- Evidence of harmful effects
What are clinical features of opioid withdrawal?
- Yawning
- Runny eyes/nose
- Abdominal cramps
- Vomiting
- Cold skin
What are the investigations for substance abuse?
- History and MSE
- Physical exam (weight/dentition/signs of IVDU)
- Signs of withdrawal
- Bloods
- Urinalysis (toxicology)
- ECG/CXR/echo
What are signs of IVDU?
- Phlebitis
- Abscess
- Old scarring
What are signs of substance withdrawal?
- Sweating
- Dilated pupils
- High HR/BP
- N+V
- Tremor
- Muscle cramps
What are management options for substance abuse?
Key steps = substitution, detoxification and relapse prevention
- Motivational interviewing/CBT
- Support groups e.g. narcotics anonymous
- Oral substitution therapies
- Medications
What are examples of oral substitution therapies in substance abuse?
- Methadone
- Buprenorphine
- Dihydrocodeine
What other medications are used in substance abuse?
- Lofexidine (withdrawal symptoms)
- Naltrexone (relapse prevention)
- Naloxone (opioid overdose)
What are risks of prolonged IVDU?
- Abscesses
- Collapsed veins
- Significant weight loss
- Skin ulcers
- Overdose
- Infections
What are clinical features of a drug overdose?
- Pin point pupils (very common with opioids)
- Drowsiness
- Respiratory depression/acidosis
- Hypotension
- Tachycardia
How is a drug overdose managed?
- ABCDE
- Naloxone
- Activated charcoal
Name 7 psychiatric emergencies
- Alcohol withdrawal
- Delirium tremens
- Wernicke’s encephalopathy
- Lithium toxicity
- Acute dystonic reaction
- Neuroleptic malignant syndrome
- Serotonin syndrome
What are side effects of lithium?
- Polyuria/polyidisia
- Weight gain
- Oedema
- Fine tremor
- Hypothyroidism
What should be avoided when prescribing lithium?
- NSAIDs
- ACE inhibitors
- Diuretics
What is a contraindication for lithium?
Teratogenic - causes Ebstein’s anomaly (congenital malformation of tricuspid valve)
What are symptoms of lithium toxicity?
TOXICCC
- Tremor (coarse)
- Oliguric renal failure
- ataXia
- Increased reflexes
- Convulsions
- Consciousness decreased
- Coma
What are the investigations for lithium toxicity?
- U&Es
- TFTs
- Lithium levels