Psychiatry Flashcards
What is bipolar disorder?
Periods of prolonged and profound depression, alternated with periods of excessively elevated and/or irritable mood.
What are the manic features of bipolar disorder?
Elevated mood
Increased energy
Increased self-esteem
Decreased attention/increased distractibility
Tendency to engage in behaviour that could have serious consequences
Marked disruption of work, social and family life
Psychotic symptoms e.g. grandiose delusions
What factors increase risk in bipolar disorder?
Reckless behaviour
Aggression
Promiscuous sexual behaviour
Lack of self care
What is the management of bipolar disorder?
Acute manic episode: atypical antipsychotic, valproate, lamotrigine or lithium
Depressive episode: avoid antidepressants. Clozapine, consider atypical antipsychotics, anticonvulsant and possible lithium adjunct. In some cases, SSRI may be suitable (be careful)
General maintenance: 1st line - lithium
What are the aetiological theories for schizophrenia?
Dopaminergic overactivity Glutamatergic hypoactivity 5-HT overactivity alpha-adrenergic overactivity GABA hypoactivity
What are the positive symptoms of schizophrenia?
Delusions
Hallucinations
Formal thought disorder
What are the negative symptoms of schizophrenia?
Impairment of loss of volition, motivation and spontaneous behaviour
Loss of awareness of socially appropriate behaviour and social withdrawing
Flattening of mood
Blunting of affect
Anhedonia
Poverty of thought and speech
What investigations should be done in patients with schizophrenia?
Bloods - U&Es, LFTs, calcium, FBC and glucose
CT/MRI head
MSU - drugs screen
ECG
What is the management of schizophrenia?
Commence a 2nd gen anti-psychotic and use a long-acting benzodiazepine to control non-acute anxiety behavioural disturbance
Try a different antipsychotic, either 1st gen or 2nd gen
Clozapine
What is schizoaffective disorder?
A disorder in which there are features of both affective disorder and schizophrenia which are present in equal proportion.
What is the prognosis for schizoaffective disorder?
A chronic course is more likely with depressive symptoms than manic. Good/poor prognostic factors are the same as for schizophrenia. Prognosis is better than schizophrenia but worse than primary mood disorder.
What are the major symptoms of depression?
Low mood
Anhedonia
Low energy level
Depression is present when >/=2 of these exist for >2 weeks
What are the minor symptoms of depression?
Feelings of guilt, uselessness, worthlessness Thoughts of suicide or self harm Poor concentration Sleep disturbance (usually early morning wakening) Weight loss/gain Loss of libido Psychomotor retardation Agitated and fidgety Memory problems Hallucinations and delusions
What is the diagnostic criteria for depression?
Mild: 1 core symptom and 3 other symptoms
Moderate: 1 core symptom and 4-7 other symptoms
Severe: 1 core symptom and >7 other symptoms
What investigations should be done in a patient with depression?
Bloods: FBC, U&Es, haematinics, LFTs, CXR ECG Full history and MSE HADS, PHQ-9 or MDI
What is the management of depression?
Mild: watchful waiting, CBT, e-CBT, self-help, exercise
Moderate and severe: SSRIs (1st line), psychological interventions, consider getting social support
What is the pathophysiology involved in Alzheimer’s disease?
Amyloid plaques Neurofibrillary tangles Up to a 50% loss of neurons and synapses in the cortex and hippocampus Genetics Cholinergic hypothesis
What are the clinical features of Alzheimer’s disease?
Early: failing memory, muddled efficiency with ADLs, spatial dysfunction and changes in behaviour
Middle: intellectual and personality deterioration, BPSD (behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia), impaired visuospatial skills and executive function
Late: fully dependent, physical deterioration, incontinence, gait abnormality, spasticity, seizures, tremor, weight loss, primitive reflexes, extra-pyramidal signs, psychiatric symptoms, behavioural disturbances, personality change
What are poor prognostic factors of Alzheimer’s disease ?
Greater severity of disease at presentation Being male Onset <65 years Parietal lobe damage Prominent behavioural problems Severe focal cognitive deficits Depression Absence of misidentification syndrome
What assessments are needed in order to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease?
Detailed history MSE Cognitive testing Physical examination Basic dementia screen - routine haematology and biochemistry, TFTs, MSU, CXR, ECG if needed, CT/MRI brain
What is the management of Alzheimer’s disease?
1st gen AChEI’s - tacrine
2nd gen AChEI’s - donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine
NMDA-receptor partial antagonist - memantine
What is the pathophysiology of Dementia with Lewy Bodies?
Lewy bodies (aggregates of alpha-synuclein and ubiquitin), Lewy neurites, Alzheimer-type changes and vascular changes
What are the clinical features of Dementia with Lewy Bodies?
Dementia Parkinsonism Fluctuating cognitive performance and level of consciousness Complex hallucinations Recurrent falls/syncope Significant depressive episode Transient disturbances of consciousness Antipsychotic sensitivity Sleep disorders e.g. REM sleep disorder Restless leg syndrome
What investigations should be done for Dementia with Lewy Bodies?
Basic dementia screen - routine haematology and biochemistry, TFTs, MSU, CXR, ECG if needed, CT/MRI brain
SPECT FP-CIT scan
SPECT-HMPAO scan
ApoE genotype
What is the management of Dementia with Lewy Bodies?
Avoid anti-psychotics or use with caution
AChEIs e.g. rivastigmine
Non-pharmacological interventions
What is the pathophysiology involved in frontotemporal dementia?
Atrophy of the frontal and temporal lobes, distribution is lobar rather than the diffuse atrophy of Alzheimer’s disease
What are the different types of frontotemporal dementia?
Behaviour variant FTD Semantic dementia Progressive non-fluent aphasia Disinhibited form Apathetic form Stereotypic form
What are the clinical features of frontotemporal dementia?
Profound alteration in character/social conduct
Relative preservation of perception, spatial skills, praxis and memory
Emotional blunting
Impaired insight
Dietary changes (overeating, preference for sweet foods)
Perseverative behaviours e.g. drinking from an empty cup
What investigations are needed to diagnose frontotemporal dementia?
Basic dementia screen - routine haematology and biochemistry, TFTs, MSU, CXR, ECG if needed, CT/MRI brain
Genetic testing for Huntington’s disease
LP for extensive CSF testing