Week 5 Flashcards
What is a psychosis?
A condition in which a person develops a misinterpretation of reality. The person cannot make sense of their surroundings, reacts inaccurately to them, and develops false thoughts or ideas about them.
What do you mean by ‘misinterpretation of reality’?
A person loses the capacity to tell what is real from what is not.
Medical conditions that can lead to someone experiencing psychosis (i.e. delusions & hallucinations)?
HIV and AIDS
Malaria
Syphilis
Alzheimer’s disease
Parkinson’s disease
Hypoglycaemia
Multiple sclerosis
Brain tumour
Head trauma
Urinary tract infection
Delerium
Are delusions and hallucinations the only symptoms of psychosis?
No! a person experiencing a specific psychotic mental illness (e.g. schizophrenia) may demonstrate many more symptoms.
What do Positive symptoms include?
Hallucinations
Delusions
Disorganised Speech
Disorganised Behaviour
What are Some Types of Psychotic Disorders?
Schizophrenia
Delusional Disorder
Schizoaffective Disorder
Brief Psychotic Disorder
What do Negative symptoms include?
Flat/blunted affect
Apathy
Avolition
Anhedonia
Alogia
What can I do when caring for someone who is experiencing psychosis?
Ensuring Safety
Validate and Support
Self Care
Is there any particular medications that is used to help treat psychosis?
Yes, these are called antipsychotics
What are the fundamental communication skills?
Using silence
Paraphrasing
Reflecting Feelings
Clarifying
Checking Perceptions
Pinpointing
Confronting
Summarising
What bests describes a delusion of persecution?
Belief that others are hostile or trying to harm the individual
What is the most common type of hallucination to be experienced with schizophrenia?
Auditory
What do Atypical Antipsychotics have
They have an affinity with Serotonin as well as Dopamine Receptors
“I know that you say that no one cares about you, but every time your wife visits, she mentions how much she misses and loves you”… is an example of what type of communication skill?
Confronting
What does the Cycle of Aggression include
In Order:
Baseline
Trigger
Escalation
Crisis
Recovery
Post-crisis depression
