Psych Flashcards
(133 cards)
what is parasuicide
an act that looks like suicide but does note result in death.
Parasuicide can be tantamount to attempted suicide but not necessarily – may just be a cry for help
how would you carry out a suicide assessment?
first thing is to ensure medical safety and fitness
history
- event leading up to the suicide
- planned?
- did they leave a note?
- precaution against discovery?
self-harm incident
- what method? violent vs non-violent
- intoxicated?
- alone?
- what was going through their head?
- who found them? found by chance?
after the incident - how did the patient feel? - did they seek help after the event? - how did they get to A&E? - how do they feel about the event now? regret?
perform a full risk assessment
- current suicidal ideations and mental state
- screen fore depression/psychosis/alochol dependency/anorexia
- previous attemtps?
- outlook for futures? what will they do when thy get home
- any protetct factors?
management for suicide attempt
• Acute management
o Ensure patient is medically safe and stable
o Complete a full assessment
• Long term management will depend upon:
o Level of risk
o Comorbidities
Anxiety and depression need appropriate management
o Was it an impulsive act?
Acts that are genuinely regretted in adults often do not need long term follow up
o Part of a pattern of repeated self-harm?
• In most cases patient can be discharged back into the community
o Especially if strong social support network and no current suicidal thoughts
o Safety plan (see prevention below):
o Crisis Team information
o Refer to GP for follow up – in some cases also the CMHT
If already under the care of CMHT contact their care co-ordinator as soon as possible
what is dementia
a syndrome due to disease of the brain that is chronic or progressive in nature. Involves disturbances of higher cortical function
• Should be present for at least 6 months
what are the main types of dementia?
- Alzheimer’s – most common
- Atrophy of the cerebral cortex, ↓ Ach, senile (β amyloid) plaques, ↑ neurofibrillary Tau protein tangles
- Lewy Body
- Lewy bodies = intracellular eosinophilic inclusions – consist of abnormally phosphorylated neurofilament proteins, aggregated with ubiquitin and alpha synuclein → neuronal loss → ↓ Ach. Senile plaques may also be seen
- Fronto-temporal (Pick’s disease)
- Selective, asymmetrical knife blade atrophy in the frontal and temporal areas. Pick cells = ballooned neurons. Pick bodies = Tau +ve neuronal inclusions.
- Vascular
- Thrombotic event = deterioration. Stepwise progression
clinical features of dementia
- Diagnosis based upon cognition is impaired & activities of daily living are affected
- No clouding of consciousness
- Memory Loss - short term memory affected more than long term. I.e. difficult to learn new things & commonly disorientated
- Impaired Thinking - concrete thinking, poor judgement, reduced fluency, struggles to make plans, may have delusions, sundowning (confusion worse in the evening)
- Agnosia - inability to recognise things: visual, auditory, prosopagnosia (inability to recognise faces)
- Language - expressive (Broca’s - frontal) / receptive dysphasia (Wernicke’s - parietal)
- Lexical anomia - word finding difficulty (i.e forgetting that a phone is called a phone)
- Personal Functioning - severe senile self neglect (Diogennes Syndrome); tendency to hoard rubbish
- Personality & Behaviour - euphoria, emotional lability (rapid changes); apathy, irritable, frustrated, disinhibition in social setting - can lead to aggression
- Hallucinations – mostly visual
- Motor impairment – apraxia, spastic paresis, urinary incontinence
what are the 5 As of alzheimer’s
Amneis aphasia agnosia apraxia associated behvaiours. psychological, delusions
psychological - delusions, hallucinations, depression, anxiety
behavioural - aggression, wandering, agitation
clinical features of Lewy body dementia
- Marked fluctuations in cognitive impairment and alertness
- Vivid visual hallucinations (70%) – occurs earlier than any other dementia
- Early parkinsonism (70%)
- Frequent faints and falls
clinical features of fronto-temporal dementia
- Insidious onset and gradual progression
- Early decline in social interpersonal conduct
- Early impairment in regulation of personal conduct
- Early emotional blunting
- Early loss of insight
what are some risk assessment of confused older adults are there?
to self
- wandering
- leaving the gas on
- leaving keys in the door
- abuse
- neglect by self or others
- falls
to others
- driving - have to inform DVLA and unable to drive
- aggression
- risk behaviors
what are some investigations for dementia
MMSE/Addenbrook’s
bloods = FBC, U&Es, TFT< LFT, b12, folate, ca, mg, serum cholesterol, serum glucose
cxr
ct head
mri - 1st chocie for suspected fronto-temporal disease
SPECT (Dat) - Lewst body
differentials for dementia
- Drugs, delirium
- Emotions/depression
- Metabolic disorders
- Eye and ear impairment
- Nutritional disorders
- Tumours, toxins, traumas
- Infections
- Alcohol, arteriosclerosis
management of dementia
- Memory aids e.g. clocks, calendars, photographs
- Try and keep at home for as long as possible
- Psychological:
- Emotional support
- CBT
- Social
- Carer support
- Occupational therapy
- Biological
- Alzheimers
- AchEI e.g. donepezil, rivastigmine. SE: stomach ulcers, N+V
- Diazepam/lorazepam for anxiety
- SSRI’s for depression
- Mementine (NMDA receptor) – 2nd line
- Risperidone (antipsychotic) for agitation
- Lewy body – AchIn e.g. rivastigine. AVOID antipsychotics
- Diazepam/lorazepam for anxiety
- SSRI’s for depression
- Mementine (NMDA receptor) – 2nd line
- Vascular – Stop smoking, healthy eating, exercise, anticoagulants
- Fronto-temporal – AVOID AchEI’s
what is an adjustment disorder?
A protracted (lasting longer than usual) response to a significant life change or event (within the last 3 months)
how long does acute adjustment disorder need to be?
< 6 months
how long does chronic adjustment disorder need to be?
> 6 months and causes disruption to a person’s life
what is acute stress reaction?
o Acute response to highly threatening or catastrophic experience
o Anxiety dies down within hours/days
clinical features of acute stress reaction?
traumatic event
dazed
amnesia or denial to the events
overactivity or withdrawal
somatic symptoms eg tachycardia, sweating, flushed, “dazed”
clinical features of adjustment disorder
significant life changes longer period of time, symptoms fluctuates depression, anxiety preoccupation with events angry outburst, disturbed
some somatic symptoms
management of acute stress reaction
remove stress, reassurance, support, short course benzodiazepine
management of adjustment disorder
- Usually self resolving
- Psychological interventions may be useful: problem solving psychotherapy, crisis intervention
- Biological: antidepressants/Anxiolytics rarely required
what is bereavement
objective state of having experienced a loss
what is grief
the subjective state of experiencing the psychological and physiological reaction to loss
what is complicated/pathological grief
failure to return to a pre-loss level of performance or state of emotional wellbeing
often > 6 months