Psychiatry Flashcards
Grief reaction
Denial: this may include a feeling of numbness and also pseudohallucinations of the deceased, both auditory and visual. Occasionally people may focus on physical objects that remind them of their loved one or even prepare meals for them
Anger: this is commonly directed against other family members and medical professionals
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance
atypical grief
delayed grief: sometimes said to occur when more than 2 weeks passes before grieving begins
prolonged grief: difficult to define. Normal grief reactions may take up to and beyond 12 months
Illness anxiety disorder (hypochondriasis)
persistent belief in the presence of an underlying serious DISEASE
Somatisation disorder
multiple physical SYMPTOMS present for at least 2 years
patient refuses to accept reassurance or negative test results
Functional neurological disorder (conversion disorder)
loss of motor or sensory function
the patient doesn’t consciously feign the symptoms (factitious disorder) or seek material gain (malingering)
patients may be indifferent to their apparent disorder - la belle indifference
Dissociative disorder
dissociation is a process of ‘separating off’ certain memories from normal consciousness
in contrast to conversion disorder involves psychiatric symptoms e.g. Amnesia, fugue, stupor
dissociative identity disorder (DID) is the new term for multiple personality disorder as is the most severe form of dissociative disorder
Factitious disorder
also known as Munchausen’s syndrome
the intentional production of physical or psychological symptoms
Malingering
fraudulent simulation or exaggeration of symptoms with the intention of financial or other gain
Anorexia features
most things low
G’s and C’s raised: growth hormone, glucose, salivary glands, cortisol, cholesterol, carotinaemia
Dosulepin - TCA
dangerous in overdose
lofepramine - TCA
lower incidence of toxicity in overdose
how often should lithium levels be checked once a stable dose has been achieved?
3 months
