Psychiatry Flashcards
what is anxiety
feeling of worry, nervousness or unease about something with an uncertain outcome
what are the symptoms of anxiety
palpitations, dry mouth, sweating, difficultly breathing, nausea and chest pain
what are the different types of anxiety disorder
social phobia, specific phobias, generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, OCD, PTSD
what are the 2 theories behind the causes of anxiety
decreased GABA or serotonin
what are the treatments for anxiety
SSRIs, benzodiazepines, CBT
how do SSRIs help in anxiety
these are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors which increase serotonin levels
how do benzodiazepines help in anxiety
increase GABA transmissions by enhancing GABA binding
why aren’t benzodiazepines used long term
they are addictive and very dangerous in an overdose
how does cognitive behaviour therapy work
this is where you look at your current problems and change the way you think and behave about them
what is post traumatic stress disorder
this is an anxiety disorder which occurs within 6 months of a traumatic even of exceptional severity resulting in repetitive, intrusion recollections of the event
what is the theory behind the causes of PTSD
hyperactivity of the amygdala
low cortisol
what is the treatment for PTSD
SSRIs, benzodiazepine, CBT, eye movement desensitisation
what is OCD
an anxiety disorder where a person has both obsessive and compulsive traits
how is OCD diagnosed
if the patient has obsessions and compulsions of a repetitive and unpleasant nature, most days for a 2 week period
the patient will acknowledge these and cant resist them
what is the theory behind the causes of OCD
- re-entry circuits in the basal ganglia
- reduced serotonin
- PANDAS
what is PANDAS
paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcal infection
this is where children have psychiatric problems following strep A infection
what are the treatments for OCD
CBT, exposure response prevention, high/long dose of SSRIs, clomipramine, deep brain stimulation
what is an obsession
a thought which persists and dominants and individuals thinking
what is a compulsion
obsessional impulse which leads directly to an action
what are the 2 types of psychosis
organic and functional
what is organic psychosis
where the brain changes in diseases to cause physical and behavioural/mood changes e.g. parkinsons, infection, tumour, epilepsy
what is functional psychosis
disorders in which there is behaviour changes with no physical brain changes e.g. anxiety and depression
what are some of the predisposing causes of depression
genetics, childhood experiences, female gender
what are some of the perpetuating causes of depression
stressful job, unemployment, substance misuse
what are some of the precipitating causes of depression
loss of family members, divorce, loss of health
what are the treatments for depression
SSRIs
CBT
what 2 neurotransmitters are thought to be affected in depression
serotonin and noradrenaline
what does the drug AMPT do
decreases noradrenaline production
which areas of the brain are thought to be affected in depression
limbic, prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia
what are some physical disorder which can cause depression
thyroid problems, vitamin B12 deficiency, chronic illness, alcohol/drug abuse
what are some symptoms of depression
low mood, lack of energy, lack of interest
depressive thoughts
lack of eating and sleeping
what is psychosis
the presence of hallucinations and delusions without insight from the patient
what are the different types of psychosis
schizophrenia, drug induced, affective and postpartum
what is drug induced psychosis
where psychotic symptoms develop 48 hours after substance use and last more than 48 hours
what is affective psychosis
where psychotic experiences come with mood e.g. guilt delusions with depression
what is postpartum psychosis
where symptoms occur days/weeks after delivery and develop quickly
what are the presentations of schizophrenia
auditory hallucinations, thought withdrawal, delusional perceptions, passivity experiences and somatic hallucinations
what is thought withdrawal
when patients think their thoughts are being taken out of their mind
what are delusional perceptions
where patients see something which is normal but give it a different meaning
what are passivity experiences
where the patient believes part of their body is being moved by an external force
what are some organic causes of schizophrenia
delirium with infection, alcohol withdrawal, drugs, seizures, hyperthyroidism, lupus, Parkinson’s treatment
what are the 5 types of schizophrenia
paranoid, hebephrenic, simple, undifferentiated, catatonic
what is paranoid schizophrenia
where hallucinations and delusions are prominent
what is hebephrenic schizophrenia
where the patient acts inappropriately and in a childish manner
what is simple schizophrenia
loss of social drive, social withdrawal, decline in social/work performance
what is catatonic schizophrenia
where they experience mutism, posturing, negativism, rigidity, command automatism, waxy flexibility
what is negativism
won’t do as they are told
what 2 dopamine pathways are affected in schizophrenia
mesolimbic and mesocortical `
what is the mesolimbic pathway
dopamine being delivered from the ventral tegmental area to the limbic structures
what is the mesocortical pathway
dopamine being delivered from the ventral tegmental area to the prefrontal cortex
what is anti-NMDA encephalitis
where the body produces auto-antibodies against neurones found in teratoma tumours which then attacks the brain giving a psychotic presentation
what are the treatments for schizophrenia
- typical antipsychotics = D2 blockers
- atypical antipsychotics = partial D2 blockers
what are the side effects of typical antipsychotics
Parkinson symptoms
acute dystonia
