1 Flashcards
Subtypes of delusions
delusional disorders
grandiose
persecutory
Erotomania
What is erotomania?
The presence of delusion (of a famous person being in love with them) with the absence of other psychotic symptoms
How would a patient with schizotypal personality disorder present?
Hold ‘odd’ beliefs and display bizarre behaviours but do not hold their beliefs with delusional conviction
How would a patient with narcissistic PD be?
They display LONG term pattern of inflated self- importance, excessive need for admiration and lack of empathy
How would a patient with histrionic PD be?
excessively attention -seeking
What is. De Clerambault’s syndrome?
AKA erotomania, is a form of PARANOID DELUSION with an amorous quality. The patient, often a single woman, believes that a famous person is in love with her.
Alcohol withdrawal - mechanism, features and management
Mechanism:
- chronic alcohol consumption enhances GABA mediated inhibition in the CNS (similar to benzodiazepines) and inhibits NMDA-type glutamate receptors
- alcohol withdrawal is thought to be lead to the opposite (decreased inhibitory GABA and increased NMDA glutamate transmission)
Features:
- symptoms start at 6-12 hours: tremor, sweating, tachycardia, anxiety
- peak incidence of seizures at 36 hours
- peak incidence of delirium tremens is at 48-72 hours: coarse tremor, confusion, delusions, auditory and visual hallucinations, fever, tachycardia
Management
- patients with a history of complex withdrawals from alcohol (i.e. delirium tremens, seizures, blackouts) should be admitted to hospital for monitoring until withdrawals stabilised
- first-line: benzodiazepines e.g. chlordiazepoxide. Lorazepam may be preferable in patients with hepatic failure. Typically given as part of a reducing dose protocol
- carbamazepine also effective in treatment of alcohol withdrawal
- phenytoin is said not to be as effective in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal seizures
Common features of PTSD
- re-experiencing e.g. flashbacks, nightmares
- avoidance e.g. avoiding people or situations
- hyperarousal e.g.hypervigilance, sleep problems
Post-traumatic stress disorder - features and management
Features:
- re-experiencing: flashbacks, nightmares, repetitive and distressing intrusive images
- avoidance: avoiding people, situations or circumstances resembling or associated with the event
- hyperarousal: hypervigilance for threat, exaggerated startle response, sleep problems, irritability and difficulty concentrating
- emotional numbing - lack of ability to experience feelings, feeling detached
from other people:
- depression
- drug or alcohol misuse
- anger
- unexplained physical symptoms
Management:
- following a traumatic event single-session interventions (often referred to as debriefing) are not recommended
- watchful waiting may be used for mild symptoms lasting less than 4 weeks
- military personnel have access to treatment provided by the armed forces
- trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy may be used in more severe cases
- drug treatments for PTSD should not be used as a routine first-line treatment for adults. If drug treatment is used then venlafaxine or a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), such as sertraline should be tried. In severe cases, NICE recommends that risperidone may be used
What is somatisation disorder?
- multiple physical SYMPTOMS present for at least 2 years
- patient refuses to accept reassurance or negative test results
What is hypochondrial disorder?
- persistent belief in the presence of an underlying serious DISEASE, e.g. cancer
- patient again refuses to accept reassurance or negative test results
What is conversion disorder?
- typically involves LOSS OF MOTOTR OR SENSORY FUCNTION
- the patient doesn’t consciously feign the symptoms (factitious disorder) or seek material gain (malingering)
- patients may be indifferent to their apparent disorder - la belle indifference - although this has not been backed up by some studies
What is dissociative disorder?
- dissociation is a process of ‘separating off’ certain memories from normal consciousness
- in contrast to conversion disorder involves psychiatric symptoms e.g. Amnesia, fugue, stupor
- dissociative identity disorder (DID) is the new term for multiple personality disorder as is the most severe form of dissociative disorder
What is Factitious disorder?
also known as Munchausen’s syndrome
the intentional PRODUCTION of physical or psychological symptoms
Malingering and give an example
fraudulent simulation or exaggeration of symptoms with the intention of FINANCIAL or other gain e.g. someone hep fakes whiplash after a road traffic accident for an insurance payment , or patient reporting symptoms with deliberate intention of getting morphine
Depression vs dementia
Factors suggesting diagnosis of depression over dementia:
- short history, rapid onset
- biological symptoms e.g. weight loss, sleep disturbance
- patient worried about poor memory
- reluctant to take tests, disappointed with results
- mini-mental test score: variable
- global memory loss (dementia characteristically causes recent memory loss)
What is the SADPERSONs score?
Is used to calculate suicide risk, and might be appropriate if this patient revealed a suicidal intent
(NOT used for an initial assessment of depression)
What is the DSM-V?
he Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V is used to DESCRIBE mental health disorders, but does not in itself provide a scoring system.
What are the 2 questions asked initially to screen for depression?
- During the last month, have you often been bothered by feeling DOWN, depressed or hopeless?
- During the last month, have you often been bothered by having LITTLE INTEREST or pleasure in doing things
If yes to either q then this prompts a more in depth assessment
What are the names of the tools used to assess the degree of depression?
- Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale
- Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
- Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D)
What is paroxetine?
An SSRI
Antisocial PD?
- Failure to conform to social norms with respect to LAWFUL behavioUrs as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest;
- More common in men;
- Deception, as indicated by repeatedly lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure;
- Impulsiveness or failure to plan ahead;
- Irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults;
- Reckless disregard for safety of self or others;
- Consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations;
- Lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another
Avoidant PD?
- Avoidance of occupational activities which involve significant interpersonal contact due to FEARS OF criticism, or REJECTION.
- Unwillingness to be involved unless certain of being liked
- Preoccupied with ideas that they are being criticised or rejected in social situations
- Restraint in intimate relationships due to the fear of being ridiculed
- Reluctance to take personal risks doe to fears of embarrassment
- Views self as inept and inferior to others
- Social isolation accompanied by a craving for social contact
Borderline PD?
- Efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment
- Unstable interpersonal relationships which alternate between idealization and devaluation
- Unstable self image
- Impulsivity in potentially self damaging area (e.g. Spending, sex, substance abuse)
- Recurrent suicidal behaviour
- Affective instability
- Chronic feelings of emptiness
- Difficulty controlling temper
- Quasi psychotic thoughts