Psychiatry Flashcards
what is an Illusion?
an illusion is the false perception of a real world stimulus
name and describe the three types of Illusions
affect- illusion with heightened emotions (EG seeing a tree moving at night and perceiving it as an attacker)
completion- the brain filling in missing parts of an object to create a complete percept
pareidolic- meaningful percepts gathered from unclear stimuli (EG seeing a face in a cloud)
what is a hallucination?
a hallucination is a false internal percept with no external stimulus. It is experienced by someone in the same way a real percept is experienced.
name four characteristics of a hallucination?
- perceived in external space
- different from imagined images
- out of the control of the patient
- has relative permanence
what is a pseudo-hallucination?
a hallucination that lacks one of the four values-
- perceived in external space
- different from imagined images
- out of the control of the patient
- has relative permanence
what is an over-valued idea?
an abnormal belief. These beliefs are usually quite reasonable and understandable but dominate the patients life disproportionately
what is a delusion?
an abnormal belief that is held with absolute certainty. It is held when there is contradictory evidence and no supporting evidence and is important to the patient.
what are primary and secondary delusions?
primary delusions- a direct result of psychopathology
secondary delusions- a product of an underlying psychiatric disorder (EG a person with depression developing delusions of poverty)
what is a delusional perception?
a delusions arising from a real perception (EG a person seeing a pigeon in their garden and being convinced that pigeon has a camera in it)
what is concrete thinking?
a thought process entirely focused on reality and the physical world. Takes things literally and focuses on facts, objects and literal definitions
what is loosening of association?
a symptom of a formal thought disorder where there a lack of connection between sequential thoughts
what is circumstantiality?
a symptom of thought disorder where irrelevant details and tangents steer the direction of the conversation and thought process, even if the patient gets around to the answer. Can be seen in mania.
what is perseveration?
where a verbal response or action which was appropriate initially is continue past the point of being appropriate (EG giving the same answer to two questions where it was only the answer to the first)
what is confabulation?
the process of describing fake memories in a period of time when the patient had amnesia.
what is somatic passivity?
where the patient believes that sensations are imposed by an outside force (EG picking up a cup)
what is pressure of speech?
a speech pattern caused by pressure of thought. the speech is hard to interrupt, rapid, and in more complex cases involves a loosening of association
what is anhedonia?
absent or significantly decreased enjoyment in activities that used to be pleasurable. a core depressive symptoms and a negative symptom of schizophrenia
what is incongruity of affect?
the objective impression that the displayed emotion is not the same as the the current thoughts or actions. occurs in schizophrenia
what is blunting of affect?
the person does not show the normal degree of emotional response and can lose the sense of what emotional response is appropriate to events. a negative symptom of schizophrenia
what is belle indifference?
a rare and non-specific symptom that does not hold any diagnostic significance, but describes a surprising lack of concern or denial of severe functional disability. not specific to psychiatry
what is depersonalisation?
a subjective experience where a person feels like things are not real, can occur in many psychiatric disorders and in the normal population
what is thought alienation?
where a person believes that their thoughts are no longer under their control and are being controlled by something external. a 1st rank symptom of schizophrenia
what is thought insertion?
a belief that thoughts are being placed into the persons head by an external force. a 1st rank symptom of schizophrenia
what is thought withdrawal?
a belief that thoughts are being taken from the persons head by an external force. a 1st rank symptom of schizophrenia
what is thought broadcast?
a belief that a persons thoughts are accessible by other people. a 1st rank symptom of schizophrenia
what is thought echo?
an auditory hallucination where the content is the individuals current thoughts that repeat. a 1st rank symptom of schizophrenia
what is thought block?
where a person experiences a sudden break in the train of thought that they might attribute to thought withdrawal. without attributing it to thought withdrawal, it is NOT a 1st rank symptom of schizophrenia
what is akathisia?
a subjective sense of a desire to move that can be uncomfortable, relieved when the affected part of the body is moved, which is usually the legs. can be a side effect of neuroleptic/anti-psychotic drugs
what is clouding of consciousness?
a consciousness level somewhere between full consciousness and a coma, covers a range of loss of function with drowsiness and impaired perception and concentration
what is catatonia?
increased resting muscle tone not present on active or passive movement. a motor symptom of schizophrenia
what is a stupor?
absence of movements and speech when there is no impairment to consciousness. can be attributed to many different psychiatric diagnoses or be organic and caused by a midbrain lesion
what is psychomotor retardation/ slowing?
decreased spontaneous movement and more difficulty starting and completing movements. usually associated with thinking actions take more effort and slowing of thought. occurs in depressive illnesses
what is flight of ideas?
a subjective experience of thoughts being more rapid and having more tangents and related thoughts that normal, however there is no loosening of association intrinsically
what is a formal thought disorder?
- all pathological disturbance in the form of thought
- a synonym for schizophrenic thought disorder
- 1st rank symptoms that are delusions regarding thought interference.
the first is usually the preferred definition.
what is derealisation?
a subjective experience where the patient feels as if the world has become unreal, and can be associated with changes in the perception of size, colour and shape
what is conversion?
the development of features that suggest a physical illness but the cause is psychiatric illness or emotional disturbance
what is dissociation?
separating unpleasant emotions and memories from conscious awareness with a related disruption to the normal integration of consciousness and memory. association with conversion but where conversion produces physical symptoms as a response to unpleasant emotions and memories, dissociation involves an impairment of mental functioning as an escape
what are mannerisms?
abnormal or bizarre performance of voluntary, goal-directed activity (EG walking strangely)
what is stereotyped behaviour/ stereotypy?
a repetitive and bizarre movement that is not goal-directed and may have a delusional significance to the patient (EG rubbing hands together). occurs in schizophrenia.
what is an obsession?
an idea, image or impulse recognised as the patients own, but which is experience intrusively and repetitively and is accompanied by anxiety if prevented which can be relieved by compulsions. often associated with the idea that something bad will happen if they don’t act on the obsession
what is a compulsion?
a behaviour or action recognised as unnecessary or purposeless but the person cannot resist performing repetitively. the drive to perform a compulsion is an obsession
define dementia
a syndrome characterised by progressive , usually irreversible, global cognitive deficits.
name 7 signs/ symptoms of dementia
- memory problems
- dysphasia- deficient generation of speech
- agnosia- unable to interpret sensations and recognise things
- apraxia- difficulty in motor planning to perform functions
- impaired executive functioning
- personality disintegration
- delusions and hallucinations
what are the 3 most common causes of dementia?
- Alzheimer’s disease 55%
- vascular dementia 20%
- reversible causes
15% (subdural, NPH, B12 deficiency, hypothyroid)
name 4 differential diagnoses for dementia
- delirium
- depression
- amnestic disorders
- normal ageing
what investigations should be included for dementia?
FBC, LFT, U+E, glucose, ESR, TSH, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, HIV, B12, folate, blood culture
name 3 cognitive enhancement treatments for dementia
- acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (donepezil, rivastigmine)
- antioxidants (Vit E)
- hormonal (oestrogen, HRT)
how do you medically treat psychosis/ agitation in dementia?
consider antipsychotics (olanzapine, clozapine, risperidone, aripiprazole ETC)
how do you medically treat depression/ insomnia in dementia?
SSRI’s (citalopram, sertraline)
hypnotic/ sedative drugs
what are 3 risk factors for alzheimer’s disease?
- down’s syndrome
- head injury
- hypothyroidism
what are 3 protective factors from Alzheimer’s disease?
- smoking
- oestrogen
- NSAIDS
explain the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease with 3 key points
- amyloid plaques in hippocampus, amygdala and cerebral cortex.
- neurofibrillary tangles in the cortex, hippocampus and substantia nigra.
- loss of neurones and synapses in the cortex and hippocampus (up to 50%)
name 3 factors associated with poor prognosis in Alzheimer’s disease
- male
- onset <65 y/o
- parietal lobe damage
describe 3 features seen on brain imaging with Alzheimer’s disease
- CT- cortical atrophy especially parietal and temporal
- MRI- atrophy of grey matter (hippocampus, amygdala and temporal lobes)
- reduced blood flow and oxygen in parietal lobes
describe 6 important assessments for Alzheimer’s disease
- mental state exam
- cognitive testing
- physical examination
- blood tests
- EEG
- brain imaging
name 4 medications that can be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease
- donepezil (AChEI)
- rivastigmine (AChEI)
- galantamine (AChEI)
- memantine (NMDA receptor antagonist)
name 3 common symptoms of lewy body dementia
- dementia
- parkinsonism (70%)
- hallucinations are more common
describe the pathophysiology of lewy body dementia
lewy bodies are abnormally phosphorylated neurofilament proteins which will be found in brainstem nuclei (particularly basal ganglia), paralimbic and neocortical structures. vascular disease in 30%
how do you treat lewy body dementia?
antipsychotics can be used very cautiously as there are severe sensitivity reactions in 40-50%. AChEI’s not yet recommended. cautiously use anti-parkinsonian medication.
what is the diagnostic criteria for lewy body dementia?
progressive cognitive decline sufficient enough to impair functioning with 2 of-
- fluctuating congition, attention and alertness
- recurrent well formed, detailed visual hallucinations
- spontaneous motor features of parkinsonism.
what is the diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer’s disease?
- presence of dementia (deficits in 2 of cognition, progressive deterioration, no consciousness change, age 40-90, absence of systemic disorder)
- supported by-progressive deterioration, worsened ADL’s, family Hx, normal lumbar puncture and EEG, and evidence of atrophy on CT scan
- consistent features-plateaus in course, psychiatric symptoms, neurological signs, seizures, normal CT
- definite diagnosis is criteria 1-3 is filled and there is histological evidence of the disorder
what is the diagnostic criteria for fronto-temporal dementia/ pick’s disease?
- insidious onset and progression
- early decline in interpersonal conduct
- early emotional blunting
- early loss of insight
supportive features-
- behavioural disorder (decline in hygiene, mental rigidity, distractible, perseverative)
- speech and language changes (altered output, stereotypy of speech, perseveration, mutism, repetition of others)
- physical signs (primitive reflexes, incontinence, akinesia, rigidity, tremor, low and labile blood pressure)
describe 3 investigations and findings that can be done in fronto-temporal dementia/ pick’s disease
- neuropsychological- impairment in frontal love, absence of amnesia, aphasia
- EEG- normal with conventional testing despite evident dementia
- brain imaging- predominant frontal and temporal abnormalities
describe the pathophysiology of fronto-temporal dementia/ pick’s disease
atrophy of the frontal and temporal lobes. degeneration of the striatum.
common fronto-temporal (60%)- loss of large cortical nerve cells and spongiform degeneration
pick’s disease (25%)- loss of large cortical nerve cells, gliosis, minimal spongiform changes, tau and ubiquitin presence
how do you treat fronto-temporal dementia/ pick’s disease?
no specific treatments, however SSRI’s might be able to help behavioural symptoms. AChEI’s unlikely to help as the cholinergic system is not abnormal.
describe the three syndromes of vascular dementia
- deficits following a single stroke- depend on site of stroke, cognitive deficits worse with midbrain and thalamic strokes. can recover.
- multi-infarct dementia- stepwise deterioration in cognition with multiple strokes. often risk factors for CVD.
- progressive small-vessel disease- microvascular infarcts of perforating vessels causing lacunae formation and white matter leukoariosis. subcortical dementia.
name 4 risk factors for vascular dementia?
- cardiovascular disease
- smoking
- diabetes mellitus
- hypertension
what are the clinical features of vascular dementia?
emotional and personality changes are early and followed by cognitive deficits that fluctuate in severity. depression and anxiety can occur. 10% can have seizures. course is stepwise
what investigations should be done vascular dementia?
- routine dementia screen
- ECG, CXR, CT and MRI essential
- serum cholesterol, clotting and vasculitis screens in unusual cases
- can do echocardiography and carotid artery doppler ultrasound
how do you treat vascular dementia?
- establish the causative factors
- treat medical or surgical diseases that may be contributing
- daily aspirin can delay course
- change diet, stop smoking, manage hypertension
what is normal pressure hydrocephalus?
a syndrome where there is dilation of the cerebral ventricles, especially the 3rd ventricle, and normal cerebrospinal fluid pressure when a lumbar puncture is taken
what causes normal pressure hydrocephalus?
50% idiopathic
50% mechanical obstruction of CSF flow across the meninges- meningitis, SAH, trauma, radiotherapy
what are the clinical features of normal pressure hydrocephalus?
triad of dementia, gait ataxia and urinary incontinence. dementia can be reversible
what investigations can diagnose normal pressure hydrocephalus?
- CT scan shows increased size of lateral ventricles and thinning of the cortex
- 24 hour intracranial pressure monitoring shows ‘beta’ pattern
how do you treat normal pressure hydrocephalus?
ventriculo-peritoneal shunt when secondary to mechanical obstruction
how common is HIV-associated dementia in the +ve population?
30% at some point develop HAD, 90% have CNS changes post mortem, and 70-80% develop a cognitive disorder
what is the pathophysiology of HIV-associated dementia?
- direct CNS infection resulting in neuronal death and increase apoptosis in the basal ganglia, and subcortical and limbic white matter
- opportunistic infections and tumours such as toxoplasmosis, herpes simplex virus, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, cytomegalovirus
what is the clinical presentation of HIV- associated dementia?
can have early cognitive disorder due to direct CNS infection involving cognitive and motor slowing and memory deficits. full blown HAD has cognitive (sub-cortical dementia, amnesia, mutism), motor (tremor, ataxia, chorea), and affective (depression, apathy, agitation, disinhibition) characteristics.
what investigations must be done in HIV-associated dementia, and what will be seen?
- CT/MRI- atrophy
- CSF testing- opportunistic infection
- EEG- generalised slowing
how do you treat HIV-associated dementia?
reverse transcriptase inhibitor Zidovudine can delay HAD progression, and protease inhibitors can reduce HIV load
what is the clinical presentation of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease?
- 50-70 years old
- rapidly progressive dementia
- cerebellar and extrapyramidal signs
- myoclonus
what is the prognosis of CJD?
death within a year
what are 3 causes of CJD?
- spontaneous development (80%)
- genetic mutation (10%)
- iatrogenic transmission due to dura transplant, corneal grafts and pituitary growth hormone (5%)
what investigations must be done in CJD and what will be seen?
- EEG- periodic complexes
2. CT- atrophy of cortex and cerebellum/ generalised atrophy
what is a prion disease?
a rapidly progressive, dementing disease caused by deposition of prion proteins throughout the brain
what is the cause of new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease?
consuming cattle with brain matter that contains bovine spongiform encephalopathy
what is the clinical presentation of new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease?
- mainly young people in their 20’s
- early anxiety and depressive symptoms
- personality changes
- progressive dementia
- ataxia and myoclonus can develop
- death in 1-2 years
describe delirium?
a clinical syndrome of fluctuating cognitive impairment with behavioural abnormalities
list the 7 most common causes of delirium
P- pain I- infection N- nutrition C- constipation H- hydration M- medication E- environmental
name the three types of delirium
- hyperactive delirium
- hypoactive delirium
- mixed delirium
what are 3 clinical signs of hyperactive delirium?
- psychomotor agitation
- increased arousal
- inappropriate behaviour
what are 3 clinical signs of hypoactive delirium?
- psychomotor retardation
- decreased arousal
- excess sleepiness
what are 3 differentials for delirium?
- mood disorder
- dementia
- post-ictal behaviour
what are 3 substances that can cause delirium?
- alcohol
- benzodiazepines
- psychotropics
what are 3 metabolic causes of delirium?
- anaemia
- hepatic encephalopathy
- cardiac failure
what are three endocrine causes of delirium?
- pituitary dysfunction
- thyroid dysfunction
- hypoglycaemia
what are three at risk groups for delirium?
- elderly
- very young
- alcohol dependents
what are three organic causes of delirium?
- frontal lobe syndrome
- complex partial seizures
- endocrine disorders with psychiatric symptoms
what are the 4 principles of management of delirium?
- identify and treat cause and worsening factors
- environmental and supportive measures
- avoid sedation unless severely agitated
- regular clinical reviews and follow ups
what are the 8 principles of dependence syndrome?
- drug-seeking
- narrowing drug range
- tolerance
- no control
- withdrawal
- avoiding withdrawal
- use despite consequences
- rapid relapses
what are the 6 stages of change relating to addiction?
- pre-contemplation
- contemplation
- decision
- action
- maintenance
- potential relapse
what is delirium tremens?
an acute confusional state secondary to alcohol withdrawal
how often does delirium tremens occur?
in 5% of withdrawals
what is the clinical presentation of delirium tremens?
- clouded consciousness
- disorientation
- amnesia
- agitation
- visual, auditory and tactile hallucinations
- fluctuation in severity, usually worse at night
- in severe cases, increased temperature, sweaty and cardiac collapse
what is the mortality of delirium tremens?
5-10%
how do you treat delirium tremens?
reducing regime of chlordiazepoxide and pabrinex (vitamin b,c)
what are 2 examination findings in alcoholic dementia?
- cortical atrophy
2. ventricular enlargement
what are the 4 clinical features of wernicke’s encephalopathy?
acute onset of- 1. acute confusional state 2. ophthalmoplegia 3. nystagmus 4. ataxic gait (ataxia, neuropathy and nystagmus can be permanent)
what is the most common cause of ophthalmoplegia in wernicke’s encephalopathy?
6th nerve palsy
what is the aetiology of wernicke’s encephalopathy?
deficiency in vitamin B/ thiamine. heavy drinkers are vulnerable due to reduced intake, absorption and hepatic storage. anorexia also vulnerable
what is the pathophysiology of wernicke’s encephalopathy?
haemorrhages caused by gliosis in grey matter
how do you treat wernicke’s encephalopathy?
- intravenous pabrinex
2. thiamine to prevent in alcoholics
what is Korsakoff psychosis?
impaired ability to form new memories with retrograde amnesia
what is the aetiology of Korsakoff psychosis?
thiamine deficiency secondary to heavy alcohol misuse, head injury, anaesthesia, encephalitis, CO poisoning
how do you treat Korsakoff psychosis?
oral thiamine replacement for up to 2 years
what are the effects of taking heroin?
- euphoria
- relaxation
- forgetting worries
what is the clinical presentation of a heroin overdose?
- nausea and vomiting
- constipation
- respiratory depression
- loss of consciousness with aspiration
- abscesses if injected
what is the clinical presentation of heroin withdrawal?
- sweating
- dilated pupils
- tachycardia
- goose flesh
- cramping
- nausea and vomiting
how do you treat heroin withdrawal?
- lofexidine (alpha adrenergic agonist)
- loperamide (anti-constipation)
- metoclopramide (anti-emetic)
what are the effects of taking benzodiazepines?
- reduced anxiety
2. euphoria
what is the clinical presentation of a BDZ overdose?
- forgetfulness
- drowsiness
- impaired concentration and coordination
what is the clinical presentation of BDZ withdrawal?
- anxiety
- insomnia
- tremor
- agitation
- headache
- nausea
- sweating
- seizures
- depersonalisation
what are the effects of taking cocaine?
- increased energy
- increased confidence
- euphoria
- diminished need for sleep
what is the clinical presentation of a cocaine overdose?
- arrhythmias
- intense anxiety
- hypertension
- impulsivity
- impaired judgement
what are the effects of taking amphetamines?
- increased energy
- increased confidence
- euphoria
- diminished need for sleep
- longer acting than cocaine
what is the clinical presentation of an amphetamine overdose?
- tachycardia
- arrhythmias
- hyperpyrexia
- irritability
- depression
- quasi-psychotic state
what are the effects of ecstasy?
- increased closeness to other people
- a pleasurable agitation relieved by dancing
- decreased fatigue
what is the clinical presentation of an ecstasy overdose?
- sweating
- nausea and vomiting
- deaths have occurred associated with hyperthermia and dehydration
what are the effects of LSD?
- situation and expectation dependant
- initial euphoria and detachment
- visual distortions
- synaesthesia
- NO RISK OF OVERDOSE! but can trigger psychiatric disorders
- magic mushrooms produce a similar effect
what are the effects of taking cannabis?
- mild euphoria
- increased appetite
- enhanced sensation
- relaxation
- altered sense of time
what are the effects of a cannabis overdose?
- mild paranoia
- panic attacks
- accidents associated with delayed reaction time
what are the chronic harmful effects of cannabis?
- amotivational syndrome
- anxiety and depression
- can precipitate an episode or a relapse of schizophrenia
what is anorexia nervosa?
pathological desire for thinness and self-induced weight loss by a variety of methods
what are the 5 diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa?
- BMI 17.5 or less
- self induced weight loss
- body image distortion
- endocrine disorders
- delayed puberty
what are some differentials of anorexia nervosa?
- chronic debilitating physical disease
- brain tumour
- GI disorder such as malabsorption
- loss of appetite
- depression/ OCD
how do you calculate BMI?
BMI= weight in kilos/ height in metres ^2
what are some cardiac problems in anorexia nervosa?
- hypotension
- prolonged QT
- arrhythmias
- cardiomyopathy
what are some endocrine and metabolic problems in anorexia nervosa?
- hypokalaemia
- hyponatraemia
- hypoglycaemia
- hypothermia
- altered thyroid function
what are some dermatological problems in anorexia nervosa?
- dry scaly skin
- brittle hair
- lanugo body hair
what are some neurological problems in anorexia nervosa?
- peripheral neuropathy
- loss of brain volume
- ventricular enlargement
- cerebral atrophy
what are some haematological problems in anorexia nervosa?
- anaemia
- leukopenia
- thrombocytopenia
what is the most common pathological cause of death in anorexia nervosa?
cardiac complications, often significant bradycardia and hypotension
what skeletal problem can occur in anorexia nervosa and how are they treated?
osteopenia, supplement with calcium and vitamin D
how do you assess anorexia?
- full psychiatric history- concentration, irritability, low self esteem, loss of appetite
- full medical history- weight changes, dietary patterns and exercise
- physical examination- weight and height, physical signs of starvation and vomiting, blood tests, ECG
how do you treat anorexia nervosa?
- pharma- fluoxetine
- psych- family therapy, individual therapy
- education- nutrition education and self help manuals
- hospital admission with serious medical problems
what is the clinical presentation of refeeding syndrome and why is it dangerous?
excessive bloating, oedema, occasionally congestive heart failure. the body has adapted to a lower cardiac demand so refeeding increases the demand and can result in cardiac decompensation
how do you prevent refeeding syndrome?
- measure U+E’s and correct abnormalities before refeeding
- recheck every 3 days for a week then weekly
- increase intake slowly
- monitor patient for tachycardia or oedema
what are 3 poor prognostic factors for anorexia nervosa?
- chronic illness
- late age of onset
- bulimic features
what is bulimia nervosa?
recurrent episodes of binge eating, with compensatory behaviours, and overvalued ideas about the ideal body shape and weight. often a past history of anorexia nervosa
what are the 5 diagnostic criteria for bulimia nervosa?
- preoccupation with eating
- craving for food
- binges
- attempts to counter the fattening effect
- morbid dread of fatness
what is the clinical presentation of bulimia nervosa?
- arrhythmias
- cardiac failure
- low potassium, sodium and acidosis
- oesophageal erosions
- perforation
- gastroduodenal ulcers
- pancreatitis
- constipation
- dental erosions
what are some differentials for bulimia nervosa?
- upper GI disorders with vomiting
- brain tumours
- causes of recurrent overeating