Unit 7: Epidemiology Q & A

Question 1

What is the typical prevalence of schizophrenia in the adult population?

Answer 1

• Schizophrenia and other related psychotic disorders occur in .25% to .64% of the population.
• It is one of the top causes of disability worldwide, despite the low prevalence in the general population

Question 2

What are the different types of symptoms associated with schizophrenia?

Answer 2

There are three types of symptoms associated with schizophrenia.

• Positive symptoms
• Negative symptoms
• Cognitive symptoms

Question 3

Positive Symptoms Associated with Schizophrenia

Answer 3

Psychotic behaviors, including hallucinations, delusions, thought disorders, and movement disorders.

Question 4

Negative Symptoms Associated with Schizophrenia

Answer 4

are inappropriate emotional and behavioral symptoms, including flat affect, depressive symptoms, difficulty with sustained attention, and decreased talking.

Question 5

Cognitive Symptoms Associated with Schizophrenia

Answer 5

Include difficulties with executive functioning, challenges in paying attention, and difficulty with memory.

Question 6

What are the risk factors associated with schizophrenia?

Answer 6

Risk factors include genetics, exposure to viruses, malnutrition before birth, challenges during birth, psychosocial factors, and alterations in brain chemistry or structure.

Question 7

What is schizoaffective disorder?

Answer 7

Similar to schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder includes hallucinations or delusions but also includes symptoms of a mood disorder such as mania and depression.
-People with schizoaffective disorder appear to have a combination of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Question 8

What are the common medications prescribed for schizophrenia?

Answer 8

The typical medications prescribed for schizophrenia are antipsychotic medications such as clozapine, risperidone, and haloperidol. (nimh.nih.gov; mayoclinic.org)

Question 9

What is the typical prevalence of eating disorders in the adult population?

Answer 9

1. 2% of people have binge-eating disorder, with females developing it twice as frequently as males.
2. 3% of people develop bulimia, with women being five times more likely than males to develop the disorder.
3. 6% of people develop anorexia, with females being three times more likely than males to develop the disorder.

Question 10

What are the signs and symptoms of anorexia?

Answer 10

• With anorexia, people severely restrict their food, appear very thin or emaciated, have an intense fear of weight gain, and have a distorted body image or self-esteem that is based on their weight and shape.
• People with anorexia also develop additional systemic problems from lack of nutrition.
• They experience changes in their bones, muscles, hair, nails, skin, blood pressure, digestion, and heart function.
• They may even incur brain damage or multiorgan failure as a result of their lack of nutrition

Question 11

What are the signs and symptoms of bulimia?

Answer 11

• People with bulimia have recurrent bouts of eating unusually large amounts of food, binge eating followed by episodes of vomiting, fasting, excessive exercise, or excessive use of laxatives and diuretics to rid themselves of the extra weight.
• People with bulimia may be slightly underweight, normal weight, or even overweight.
• They typically have chronic sore throats, swollen glands, difficulty with their teeth, gastrointestinal issues, and chronic dehydration

Question 12

What is binge-eating disorder?

Answer 12

-Binge-eating disorder is classified as people being unable to control overeating episodes. These people typically are overweight or obese.

Question 13

What are the signs and symptoms of binge-eating disorder?

Answer 13

• Symptoms include eating unusually large amounts of food in a specific amount of time even when they are not hungry.
• Generally, when binging, people eat quickly, often alone, until they are uncomfortably full.
• They typically feel distressed, ashamed, and guilty about their eating episodes but cannot stop.

Question 14

What are the risk factors for eating disorders?

Answer 14

Eating disorders typically develop during the teen years but may occur in young adulthood or childhood.
-Though men and women are equally susceptible to eating disorders, women are more likely to develop one.

Question 15

What causes eating disorders?

Answer 15

• Eating disorders are caused by genetic, biological, psychological, and social factors.
• People who have a family history of eating disorders are more likely to develop one themselves.

Question 16

Comorbidities of Eating Disorders

Answer 16

• Eating disorders have high comorbidity with other core mental health disorders. 56% of people with anorexia, 94% of people with bulimia, and 79% of people with binge-eating disorder have comorbidity with another mental health disorder.
• The highest comorbidity is with anxiety disorders.

Question 17

What is the typical prevalence of OCD in the general population?

Answer 17

It is estimated that 1.2% of adults have OCD, with a higher prevalence in females than in males.

Question 18

What are the risk factors for OCD?

Answer 18

• OCD is a common disorder typically diagnosed in the late teens. Genetics, brain structure and function, and environment may contribute to the development of OCD.
• PANDAS is a specific childhood disorder that can result in OCD symptoms.

Question 19

What are the common signs and symptoms of OCD in adults?

Answer 19

• Obsessive thoughts include urges or mental images that cause anxiety, such as fear of germs or needing to have things in perfect order.
• Compulsions are repetitive behaviors that are performed in response to an obsessive thought.
• They may include excessive handwashing in response to an obsessive thought about germs or the compulsive ordering of objects as a result of an obsessive thought about perfect order.
• A person with OCD cannot control their behaviors.
• They spend more than an hour a day on their obsession or compulsion, they may feel a release of anxiety after performing their rituals, and their obsessions interfere with daily life.
• Sometimes a tic disorder develops along with OCD.

Question 20

What are the common signs and symptoms of PANDAS in children?

Answer 20

• PANDAS appears as the development of an obsessive-compulsive disorder or tic disorder that develops after a strep infection.
• Symptoms tend to develop overnight and out of the blue.
• Children appear moody, experience anxiety attacks, and demonstrate separation anxiety.

Question 21

What are the common medications prescribed for OCD?

Answer 21

Serotonin reuptake Inhibitors can reduce OCD symptoms if given in higher doses than typical for people experiencing depression. Antipsychotic medications may also be prescribed.

Question 22

What is the typical prevalence of substance use disorder in the general population?

Answer 22

In 2017, 7.6% of people over age 18 had a substance use disorder. 3.4% had both a substance use and other mental health disorder. Of the 18.7 million people who had a substance abuse disorder, 36% were addicted to drugs, 75% were addicted to alcohol, and 11% were addicted to both.

Question 23

What are the DSM diagnostic criteria for a substance use disorder?

Answer 23

1. Taking larger and larger amounts of the substance
2. Wanting to cut down or stop using a substance but not being able to
3. Spending a significant amount of time related to obtaining, using, recovering from the
   substance
4. Cravings to use the substance
5. Not being able to perform roles and responsibilities because of the substance
6. Developing relationship problems as a result of using the substance
7. Giving up occupational activities because of the substance
8. Using the substance despite being put in danger
9. Continuing to use the substance even when you know there is a problem
10. Developing a tolerance to the substance
11. Developing withdrawal symptoms when not having the substance (DSM-V)

Question 24

How does the DSM distinguish between a mild, moderate, and severe substance use disorder?

Answer 24

Identifying two or three symptoms from the DSM diagnostic criteria indicates a mild substance use disorder. Four to five symptoms indicates a moderate substance use disorder. More than six symptoms indicates a severe substance use disorder (DSM-V)

Question 25

What are the effects of alcohol use?

Answer 25

Reduced inhibition, slurred speech, motor impairment, confusion, memory problems, concentration problems, coma, breathing problems, death, accidents, risky behavior, violent behavior, suicide, increased risk of cancer, and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, which is a brain disorder with deficient B1 resulting in encephalopathy and psychosis.

Question 26

What medications are available for treating substance use disorders?

Answer 26

• Buprenorphine is used for eliminating symptoms of opioid withdrawal.
• Methadone reduces opioid cravings.
• Naltrexone is used to prevent relapse in sober adults who have detoxed from opioid addictions.
• Acamprosate reduces alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
• Disulfiram causes an adverse reaction to the consumption of alcohol.
• Naltrexone helps prevent relapse in sober individuals