Psychiatry Flashcards
What are the three core symptoms of Depression?
1) Low mood
2) Anhedonia (loss of interest)
3) Decreased energy
What additional symptoms (other than the core symptoms) may someone have in depression?
Guilt, feeling of worthlessness, low confidence, reduced concentration, low self-esteem, decreased appetite, decreased sleep, thoughts of self-harm
What is the name of the scoring system that can be used for Depression?
Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9)
Give some examples of SSRI’s
Sertraline
Fluoxetine
Citalopram
Paroxetine
Give some examples of SNRIs
Venlafaxine
Duloxetine
Give two examples of tricyclic antidepressants
Amitriptyline
Imipramine
List some general/common side effects related to SSRIs
Headache, anorexia, nausea, indigestion, anxiety, sexual dysfunction
List some serious side-effects of SSRIs
Increased risk of suicidal ideation, risk of bleeding, hypontraemia, risk of withdrawal, risk of prolonged QT (Citalopram)
List some side effects experienced with tricyclic antidepressants
Antimuscarinic - Dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation, urinary retention, cognitive and memory impairment, increased body temperature; Dizziness, sexual dysfunction, arrhythmia’s, seizures
What are the symptoms of rapid withdrawal from antidepressants?
Electric shock-like sensations, dizziness, increased mood change, restlessness, difficulty sleeping, sweating, abdominal symptoms, altered sensations
What is the serious complication that can occur due to antidepressant use?
Serotonin syndrome
What are the causes of serotonin syndrome?
- Therapeutic use of antidepressants
- Drug interactions
- Intentional overdose of antidepressants
What are the symptoms of Serotonin Syndrome?
Tachycardia, hypertension, hyperthermia, agitation, ocular clonus, dilated pupils, tremor, akathisia, muscle rigidity, bilateral Babinski, dry mucous membranes, flushed skin, increased bowel sounds
What is the management of Serotonin Syndrome?
- Stop serotinergic agents
- Benzodiazepines for agitation
- Cardiac monitoring
- IV fluids
- Cooling
What non-pharmaceutical therapies are there for Depression?
- Counselling
- CBT
- ECT
What are the indications for ECT?
- Depression
- Catatonia
- Mania
What are the potential side-effects of ECT?
Short-term: Headache, aching muscles, temporary amnesia,, death from anaesthetic (1 in 10,000)
Long-term: Long-term amnesia, change in personality
Define Generalised Anxiety Disorder
Generalised, persistent, excessive anxiety or worry about a number of events that an individual finds difficult to control that lasts for at least 3 weeks
Mr J has comes to see you as he has been feeling very apprehensive for the past 4 weeks. When questioned he reports having nothing specific that is troubling him, he reports difficulty sleeping due to feeling anxious and constantly feels like something bad is going to happen. He appears tense as he sits talking to you. What is the likely diagnosis?
Generalised Anxiety Disorder
What is the treatment for GAD?
- CBT
- Sertraline (SSRI)
- Additional: applied relaxation, psychoeducation
Define Panic Disorder
Recurrent episodic and severe panic attacks which occur unpredictably and are not restricted to any particular situation
Mrs H comes to see you as she has had a number of “episodes” where she has felt very anxious. On further discussion Mrs H reports that during this episodes she experiences palpitation, she feels like her heart is racing, she becomes increasingly breathless and she has noticed in her most recent episode that she got a tingling sensation in her hand. These episodes last for about 5 minutes. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Panic Disorder
What is Anticipatory fear?
This is where an individual develops a fear of having another panic attack
What is the management for a Panic Disorder?
- CBT
- SSRIs
- Tricyclic antidepressants e.g. imipramine or clomipramine
- Pregabalin or clonazepam
Name the three main categories of phobias
- Specific phobias
- Agoraphobia
- Social phobia
What is agoraphobia?
The fear and avoidance of places or situations from which escape may be difficult or in which help may not be available in the event of a panic attack
What is the diagnostic criteria for agoraphobia?
Anxiety that is restricted to crowds, public places, traveling from home or travelling alone and is therefore avoided
What is the management of agoraphobia?
- CBT
- SSRIs
What is social phobia?
Persistent fear of social situations in which the individual is exposed to unfamiliar people or to possible scrutiny by others and fears they will be humiliated
What is the management for social phobia?
- CBT
- Self-help
- Graded self-exposure
- Social skills training
- SSRIs (not used first-line)
What is the management for specific phobias?
- Graded exposure
- Benzodiazepines (if phobia is only encountered occasionally e.g. flying)
What are obsessions?
Obsessions can be thoughts, images, impulses, doubts which are unwelcome, persistent, recurrent, intrusive, senseless and uncomfortable for the individual. The individual will attempt to suppress or neutralise them and can recognise that they are absurd.
What are compulsions?
Repetitive, purposeful physical or mental behaviours performed with reluctance in response to an obsession
Ms K comes is referred to you as she has been having a difficult time recently. She reports that she has been cleaning the house quite a lot and has been becoming increasingly anxious about cleanliness. When asked she reports spending 3 hours a day cleaning and has been struggling with friends coming round as she is worried they may not be clean. She has also started asking her husband to shower as soon as he gets in from work. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Obsessive compulsive disorder
What is the management for OCD?
- CBT
- SSRIs or Clomipramine
Ms T comes to you as she has been struggling over the past month following a car accident she had. The car accident involved her and her children and lead to their temporary hospitalisation. She reports getting anxious and sweaty and can often feel her heart racing whenever she has had to get into a car since, however she says she has only done this twice since the accident. While initially she only felt anxious when being in a car, two weeks ago she started having nightmares in which she relived the accident and has on a number of occasions become very anxious upon hearing her child crying saying she felt like she was “experiencing it all over again”. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
What are the four main features of PTSD?
- Hyperarousal
- Intrusions
- Avoidance
- Maladaptive behaviours
What treatments are available for PTSD?
- Trauma-focussed CBT
- Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)
- Antidepressant e.g. Paroxetine or Mirtazapine
- Beta-blockers
- Social support e.g. finance, housing and family support
Mr E present to you following an argument with his next-door neighbours. He says the argument started when he went round as he could hear them talking about him when when he was in his house. He says they are always talking about him and they say nasty things. He also believes that they are trying to make him go to prison and that they have somehow managed to find a way of controlling him and making him steal things in order to get him into prison. He knows this is the case because the electrician has been hanging around their house yesterday and therefore he must have installed a controlling device. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Schizophrenia