Schizophrenia Flashcards
What is Schizophrenia?
A disease of neuronal disconnection
What are the causes of Schizophrenia?
Migration, infections, viruses and toxins. Could be family history - genes
What is the difference between Typical and Atypical treatments?
Typical treat just the positive symptoms and works just on dopamine exclusively. This is 1st generation
Atypical - Works on Dopamine, 5Ht-2a. This is 2nd generation drugs.
What is the peak age onset for Schiz?
Men: 21-26 years
Women: 25-32 years
What are the different models in Schiz?
Vulnerability model - stress precipitator, depending on personality, social network or environment
Developmental model - Prenatal and perinatal development key - also adolescence
Ecological model - External factors - social and cultural factors
Genetic model - Higher incidence in siblings
Transmitter abnormality model - Dopamine theory
What are positive symptoms of Schiz?
Positive symptoms add something to what wasn’t there .
Symptoms include:
These normally respond well to antipyschotics.
Hallucinations - sensing an external stimulus that isn’t there; any sense can be affected
Delusions - Believing in something that’s not true
Thought disorder - distorted or illogical speech, no logical chain of thought
Lack of insight - unaware that they are unwell
What are negative symptoms of Schiz?
Negative symptoms take away
Symptoms include:
Poor response to antipsychotics
- Apathy (lack of emotion, feeling, passion, concern)
- Self-neglect
- Emotional blunting / affective flattening
- Alogia
- Avolition (loss of motivation and initative)
- Social / occupational dysfunction
What are some rating sclaes to assess symptoms?
Brief Psychiatric rating schale; scales for the assessment of positive/negative symptoms (SAPS, SANS); Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS)
What should be done if onset of psychosis is suspected in a patient?
The patient should be referred quickly to secondary care such as early intervention team, crisis resolution or home treatment teams, community mental health teams etc.
A mental health care professional needs to confirm psychotic symptoms; depending on risk assessment, presentation ect, the patient may be admitted to Hospital
What is needed for a Schiz patient to be admitted to Hospital?
Consent of patient OR the use of the Mental Health Act (e.g. to section the patient).
What is the management for Acute episodes / first episode psychosis?
- Offer oral antipsychotics - decision of which made by the service user and health care professional together
- Offer pyschological interventions (family intervention etc.)
Treatment is more effective when both of these are used together
What are the different classifications for antipsychotic medications with Schizs?
Metabolic - weight gain, diabetes
Cardiovascular - Prolonging the QT interval
Hormonal - Hyperprolactinaemia
Extrapyramidal - Akathisia, dyskinesia and dystonia
Other - Unpleasant subjective experiences such as dysphoria
What baseline investigations should be recorded before starting antipsychotic medications?
- Weight
- Waist circumference
- Pulse and blood pressure
- Fasting blood glucose or HbA1C
- Blood lipid profile
- Prolactin levels
- Assessment of movement disorders
- ECG
- Assessment of nutritional status, diet and level of physical activity
What are the NICE prescribing guidlines for Schiz?
NICE recommends starting treatment at lowest dose and increasing slowly if needed.
Antipsychotics medication should be used at optimum dosage for a minimum of 4-6 weeks before review.
Loading dose of antipsychotic should not be used and should not be prescribed concurrently except for short changeover periods
Small response to optimum dose should result in changing the class.
If bad side effects occur with typical antipyschotics, consider atypical
Polypharmacy should be reserved for inadequate therpay
How long should antipsychotic medications be taken for, for Schiz?
1-2 years, and withdraw gradually to reduce the high risk of relapse
Monitor for relapse for 2 years after medications have been withdrawn