General Mental Health Flashcards
(174 cards)
who can make an assessment order?
any health practitioner or mental health practitioner
what is a ‘mood episode’
any period of time that a patient feels abnormally sad or happy
what is the significance of negative symptoms and cognitive impairment in schizophrenia?
there is no treatment for negative and cognitive impairment in schizophrenia, and it indicate poor prognosis as both impair normal functioning
main differential diagnoses for schizophrenia?
bipolar disorder with psychotic features and major depressive disorder with psychotic features, schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, alcohol/drug induced psychosis or medical illness causing psychosis
what is conduct disorder?
antisocial behaviour
what is the difference between transgender and transsexual?
transgender- person identifies with the gender other than their biologically assigned gender
transsexual- person has begun the hormonal/surgical process of transitioning to their identified gender
what group of patients are most likely to have dissociative identity disorder?
female patients who are sexually abused
what are the three types of cluster A personalities?
paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal
what are some characteristics of catatonia?
immobility, mutism, catalepsy, stupor, negativitism, echo-phenomena, repetitive purposeless movements
what drug is used for PTSD?
paroxetine
how might we manage delirium?
- ix and then treat the cause
- usually non-pharmacological management is sufficient (calm, reassurance, close monitoring)
- if significantly agitated/disruptive an anti-psychotic (haloperidol/olanzapine/risperidone) may be used. consider if patient can take oral or whether it needs to be IM
risk factors for bipolar disorder
• Genetic • Head injury Organic CNS disease • AIDS • Childbirth • Circadian rhythm disruption Sleep disruption
what are some issues that can arise from poor maternal mental illness?
• Poor attachment between mother and child
• Child may have problems with emotional interaction and development/failure to thrive
• Shown to have some structural neurological differences in neglected children
• Poor mental health while pregnant can cause effects such as foetal alcohol syndrome, IUGR, etc
• Psychotropic medication can pass through breast milk
• Increased risk of STIs–> vertical transmission
Medications can be teratogenic
what are the risks of refeeding syndrome
acute cardiac failure acute renal failure Wernicke's encephalopathy sepsis respiratory failure
what metabolic disturbances do you see in refeeding syndrome?
hypomagnesium
hypokalemia
hyponatremia
hypophosphatemia
and hyperglycaemia
describe panic disorder
Individual experiences recurrent unprovoked panic attacks, worries excessively about future panic attacks and often has maladaptive behavioural changes as a result of the panic attacks
A 21 year old female presents to ED with BMI of 11. Didn’t want to come in but GP completed an assessment order.
What is your management in the acute setting?
- Exclude organic cause e.g. thyroid/malabsorption
- What did you eat yesterday?
- Assess compensatory mechanisms (purging/fasting/exercise/laxatives/thyroxine)
- Assess their cognition about their weight- e.g. anorectic? Stress?
- Assess risk of refeeding syndrome (how quickly have they lost weight? Is it new onset?)
- Assess risk of physical sequelae (acid base issues, lack of poor sympathetic response, hypoalbuminaemia, amenorrhoea, infertility, osteoporosis/fractures)
- Assess psychiatric risk- Suicidal intent, DSH, risk of absconding
- Assess pyschiatric comorbidities- OCD, borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression
- Physical examination- hypothermia, vitals (postural tachycardia and hypotension), poor peripheral circulation
- Investigations: FBE,UEC, TFTs, lipids, random BG, LFTs (albumin), coags, DEXA scan
- Admit to medical ward
- With dietician help commence refeeding slowly
- Give thiamine and other electrolytes
- Provide ongoing psychological support
what does depersonalisation mean?
feeling of detachment from patient’s mind to body
what are the three types of symptoms for schizophrenia
positive symptoms
negative symptoms
disorganisation symptoms
what are some structural abnormalities in the brain of patients with schizophrenia?
reduced grey matter
enlarged ventricles
reduced volume in frontal lobe, hippocampus, amygdala
what are the indications for ECT?
- melancholic depression
- psychotic depression with catatonia
- severe depression in pregnancy
- ?Bipolar/mania
what does lithium in high doses and ECT for bipolar patients result in?
acute delirium
define stupor
episode of mutism and absence of movement but no impairment of consciousness
what do we mean by ‘difficulty with affect regulation’?
commonly refers to patients with borderline personality traits who have fluctuating affects/mood and difficulty controlling it