Psychiatry Flashcards
what does aphonia mean?
inability to speak
Causes of aphonia
Recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy
Psychogenic
What is cotard syndrome?
Patient believes they are dead
May stop eating and drinking
What is De Clerambault’s syndrome?
Patient believes a famous person is in love with them
What is delusional parasitosis?
Patient has a fixed delusion that they are infested by bugs
Features of depression in the elderly
Physical complaints
Agitation
Insomnia
Management of depression in the elderly
SSRIs
Escitalopram (Lexapro). Fluoxetine (Prozac). Paroxetine (Paxil). Sertraline (Zoloft).
ECT - contraindications
Raised intracranial pressure
ECT short term side effects
Headache Nausea Short term memory impairment Memory loss of events prior to ECT Cardiac arrhythmia
ECT long term side effects
impaired memory
Stages of normal grief
Denial - may include hallucinations Anger Bargaining Depression Acceptance
How long does normal grief take?
up to 12 months
What is delayed grief?
Grieving starts >2 weeks after death
What is circumstantiality in a mental state exam?
Inability to answer a question without giving excessive, unncessary detail. Person does return to the original point.
What is tangentiality in a mental state exam?
Wandering from a topic without returning to it
What is neoligisms in a mental state exam?
New word formations which might include the combining of two words
What is clang association in a mental state exam?
When ideas are related to each other only by the fact they sound similar or rhyme
What is a word salad in a mental state exam?
Incoherent speech where real words are strung together in nonsense sentences
What is Knight’s move thinking in a mental state exam?
severe type of loosening of associations, where there are unexpected and illogical leaps from one idea to another. This is a feature of schizophrenia
What is flight of ideas in a mental state exam?
There are leaps from one topic to another but with discernible links between them
A feature of mania
What is perseveration in a mental state exam?
Repetition of ideas or words despite an attempt to change the topic
What is echolalia in a mental state exam?
Repetition of someone else’s speech, including the question that was asked
Mirtazapine side effects
Sedation and increased appetite
What is Othello’s syndrome?
Pathological jealousy that their partner is cheating on them
Socially unacceptable behaviour linked to these claims