Treatment of affective disorders Flashcards
The 2 questions below are useful for what?
- During the last month have you often been feeling down, depressed or hopeless?
- During the last month have you often been bothered by having little interest or pleasure in doing things?
- screening depression
- needed as people wont tell you they are depressed
In all patients with depression, what are the 3 things they should be offered straight away?
1 - advice about sleep hygiene, active monitoring of symptoms, medication
2 - psychoeducation, CBT, active monitoring of symptoms
3 - psychoeducation, advice about sleep hygiene, CBT
4 - psychoeducation, advice about sleep hygiene, active monitoring of symptoms
4 - psychoeducation, advice about sleep hygiene, active monitoring of symptoms
In patients with mild to moderate depression, what would be the treatment strategy?
1 - low intensity psychosocial and high intensity psychological interventions
2 - CBT and low intensity psychosocial interventions
3 - low intensity psychosocial and psychological interventions
4 - low psychological interventions and CBT
3 - low intensity psychosocial and psychological interventions
- if no improvement from 1 and 2 then need to consider medication
In all patients with mild-mod depression and not responding to low intensity psychosocial and psychological interventions, what should these patients be offered?
1 - high intensity psychosocial and/or antidepressant medication
2 - CBT and antidepressant medication
3 - low intensity psychosocial and antidepressant medication
4 - low psychological interventions and CBT
1 - high intensity psychosocial and/or antidepressant medication
In all patients with severe and complex depression, what should these patients be offered?
1 - high intensity psychosocial and/or antidepressant medication
2 - high intensity psychosocial intervention, antidepressants, specialist referral and crisis team
3 - low intensity psychosocial and antidepressant medication
4 - low psychological interventions and CBT
2 - high intensity psychosocial intervention, antidepressants, specialist referral and crisis team
- specialist referral is MDTs
- consider crisis team is admission to hospitals
In patients with severe depression who are a high risk with threat to life (self neglect, suicidal) what are other treatment alternatives?
- urgent specialist referral
- hospital admission
- detained under mental health act 2 for 28 days of assessment
- consider electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
- antipsychotic medication for psychotic symptoms
What is psychoeducation?
- evidence-based therapeutic intervention
- patients with depression and their loved ones are provided with information and support to better understand and cope with depression
Psychoeducation is an evidence-based therapeutic intervention where patients with depression and their loved ones are provided with information and support to better understand and cope with depression. What sort of things might be spoken about?
1 - Day to day things that can impact on mental health (+ and -)
- Work
- Family life
- Sleep
- Level of exercise
- What we eat (i.e. diet)
- Drugs and alcohol, smoking
2 - Sleep hygiene
When a patient has been actively monitored, provided with psychosocial and given advice about their sleep hygiene, but none of this works, they could be offered a low intensity psychosocial intervention. What are 4 examples this form can this low intensity psychosocial intervention take?
1 - regular exercise or group activity programmes
2 - befriending services
3 - local support groups and social groups
4 - social prescribing (identify and access groups and activities)
When a patient has been actively monitored, provided with psychoeducation and given advice about their sleep hygiene, but none of this works, they could be offered a low intensity psychological intervention. What are low and high psychological interventions?
1 - low
- computerised CBT - guided self help (e.g. book) based on CBT - group CBT
2 - high
- individual CBT - other individual therapies
What are the 3 things that are focussed on in cognitive behavioural therapy?
1 - feelings
2 - thoughts
3 - behaviour
The majority of anti-depressant medications act on monoamines neurotransmitters. What are the 3 key monoamines that anti-depressant medications act on?
1 - neuroadrenaline, serotonin, acetylcholine
2 - neuroadrenaline, acetylcholine, dopamine
3 - neuroadrenaline, serotonin, dopamine
4 - acetylcholine, serotonin, dopamine
3 - neuroadrenaline, serotonin, dopamine
The majority of anti-depressant medications act on monoamines neurotransmitters. The 3 key monoamines that anti-depressant medications act on are neuroadrenaline, serotonin and dopamine. They are able to have a rapid effect within the synapse, but can then take time to have a therapeutic effect. How long can some anti-depressants take before the begin to have a therapeutic effect?
1 - 1 week
2 - 2 weeks
3 - 3-4 weeks
4 - >4 weeks
3 - 3-4 weeks
Although not exactly known the reason there is a delayed response in anti-depressant medication is thought to be due to alterations in gene expression. One of the things altered gene expression may be involved in is down-regulation of receptors, what happens here?
- medication will result in an increase in the levels of neurotransmitter
- gene expression down regulates receptors, called desensitisation
- cell is no longer as responsive to neurotransmitter
Although not exactly known the reason there is a delayed response in anti-depressant medication is thought to be due to alterations in gene expression. One of the things altered gene expression may be involved in is neurogenesis/synaptic plasticity, what happens here?
- create new synapses
- increase hippocampal and prefrontal cortex neurogenesis
In clinical trials what % of patients with depression respond to active anti-depressant medication and placebo?
- active anti-depressant medication = 50%
- placebo = 30%
What are the first line choice in anti-depressant medication?
1 - benzodiazepines
2 - gabapentinoids
3 - selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
4 - ion channel blockers
3 - selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
- Citalopram is the core drug
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the first line choice in anti-depressant medication. If the patient is responding and there are no issues how long should these drugs be taken for and if stopped earlier what can happen?
1 - >1 month and relapse of depression
2 - >3 months and relapse of depression
3 - >6 months and relapse of depression
4 - >12 months and relapse of depression
3 - >6 months and relapse of depression
Citalopram is a key drug that we need to be aware of. What class of drug is this and what is it generally used to treat?
- selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI)
- anti-depressant medication