Psychosis (2)

Question 1

What is it?

What are its primary disorders?
→ How does it typically present?

What are its secondary disorders?
→ How does it typically present?

Answer 1

➊ Syndrome where one experiences hallucinations, delusions, and disorganised thoughts and actions

➋ Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective disorder, Psychotic depression, Delusional disorder, Brief psychotic disorder
→ • Auditory hallucinations, delusions, and disorganised thought process, minimal cognitive deficits
• Normal vital signs

➌ Drug-induced, Infection, Metabolic, Neurological disease
→ • Visual/Tactile hallucinations, Severe cognitive impairment (confusion, disorientation)
• Altered vital signs

Question 2

What are positive symptoms?
→ What does it include?

What are negative symptoms?
→ What does it include?

Answer 2

➊ Characteristics that are added to someone’s state of being
→ • Hallucinations - Perceptions in the absence of stimuli - Can be auditory, visual, olfatory, or tactile
• Delusions - Fixed, false beliefs
‣ Thought disorder - thought insertion (put into head), thought withdrawal (removed from head), thought broadcasting (others can hear)

➋ Characteristics that are removed from someone’s state of being
→ • Blunted affect
• Reduced speech (Alogia)
• Loss of motivation
• Self-neglect
• Social withdrawal

Question 3

What are the investigations to do?

Answer 3

➊ • General and neurological examination
• Bloods - FBC, LFTs, U&E, Glucose, TFTs
• Urine toxicology
• STI screen

➋ • Stop any causative agents e.g. drugs, in secondary type
• Sedation if agitated - PO/IM Benzos/Antipsychotics e.g. Lorazepam