Psychosis - Concepts Flashcards
Define schizophrenia
Mental disorder characterized by disorganized, bizarre thoughts, hallucinations, delusions, inappropriate affect/emotions, and impaired social fn’ing
Define psychosis
Impairment of an ind’s REALITY > marked by delusions, hallucinations, incoherent speech, and agitated behaviour (pt is NOT aware)
Define hallucination
sensing something w/ 1 or more senses that isn’t actually there (e.g. hearing voices)
Define delusion
beliefs that’re irrational and not based on reality
Pathophys of schizophrenia?
- DA dysregulation = key factor
- Serotonin dysregulation
- Glutamate and GABA also involved
4 sx clusters of schizophrenia:
- positive sx’s
- negative sx’s
- cog sx’s
- mood sx’s
Drugs known to cause psychosis (KNOW FOR EXAM) - 9 of them:
- amphetamine use and withdrawal
- cocaine use and withdrawal
- bupropion (lowers threshold)
- caffeine
- cannabis
- chloroquine
- efavirenz
- ketamine
- steroids
Main MOA of antipsychotics
Blocking DA receptors
T or F: Antipsychotics only block DA receptors
F
They block DA, 5HT, muscarinic, alpha1 and alpha2, and H1 receptors too!
How do the 5HT-2a and 5HT-2c blockade effects of antipsychotics help w/ schizophrenia?
Improves negative sx’s
How do the DA blockade effects of antipsychotics help w/ schizophrenia?
Improves positive sx’s
Differentiate between the effects of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gen antipsychotics:
1st gen: DA receptor blocker
2nd gen: DA and 5-HT receptor blocker
3rd gen: DA receptor partial agonist
T or F: Each antipsychotic is unique, hence their efficacies differ considerably from one another.
F
Although they do have unique profiles, their efficacies are similar (except clozapine)
What’s clozapine used for wrt schizophrenia?
Tx-refractive schizophrenia (GOLD STANDARD)
In schizophrenic pts, 5HT blockade does what?
Helps w/ neg sx’s