Defense Against the Dark Arts
A medical student who fails an exam refuses to believe the score is accurate and insists there was a grading error, despite seeing the Scantron sheet.
Denial
While Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) involves problems with authority, Conduct Disorder is distinguished by this specific escalation in behavior.
What is the violation of the basic rights of others (or physical aggression/cruelty to animals)?
This opioid antagonist is used for the emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose.
What is Naloxone (Narcan)?
This dermatologic emergency is the primary reason Lamotrigine must be titrated slowly.
SJS
In the Winnie the Pooh universe, this character is frequently cited by psychiatrists as a classic representation of Dysthymia or Major Depression.
Who is Eeyore?
A husband who is attracted to his coworker accuses his wife of having an affair.
Projection
To diagnose Tourette’s Disorder, a patient must have multiple motor tics and at least one vocal tic persisting for this duration.
1 year
This triad of confusion, ataxia, and ophthalmoplegia requires immediate Thiamine replacement to prevent progression to Korsakoff’s.
What is Wernicke’s Encephalopathy?
Patients taking MAOIs must avoid aged cheeses and cured meats to prevent this specific medical crisis.
What is Hypertensive Crisis (caused by Tyramine)?
This 2001 film depicts the life of mathematician John Nash and his struggle with the visual hallucinations of Schizophrenia (even though his actual hallucinations were mostly auditory).
What is "A Beautiful Mind"?
After being reprimanded by his attending, a resident goes home and kicks his dog (or yells at his spouse).
Displacement
This X-linked disorder, almost exclusive to females, is characterized by normal early development followed by regression, loss of speech, and stereotypic hand-wringing.
Rett syndrome
The sensation of bugs crawling on or under the skin (formication) is most classically associated with withdrawal from (or heavy intoxication with) these substances.
What are Cocaine or Methamphetamine (Stimulants)?
This cardiac anomaly in infants is associated with Lithium exposure during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Ebstein's anomaly
In the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling created these soul-sucking creatures as a literal metaphor for her own experience with severe clinical depression.
What are Dementors?
A person who is terrified of their own aggressive impulses becomes a pacifist crusader.
Reaction Formation
Symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity must be present prior to this age to meet DSM-5 criteria for ADHD.
What is Age 12?
Delirium Tremens (DTs) is a medical emergency that typically begins within this time window after the last drink.
What is 48 to 96 hours (2-4 days)?
Clozapine previously required enrollment in a REMS registry due to the risk of this potentially fatal blood dyscrasia.
What is Severe Neutropenia (or Agranulocytosis)?
The character Pat Solitano, played by Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook, struggles to manage this mood disorder after being released from a psychiatric hospital.
What is Bipolar Disorder?
Considered a "mature" defense, this involves channeling unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable or productive activities (e.g., a person with aggression issues becomes a surgeon or kickboxer).
Sublimation
This is the primary mechanism of action of Methylphenidate (Ritalin/Concerta).
What is blocking the reuptake of Dopamine and Norepinephrine? (Distinct from Amphetamines, which also increase release).
This smoking cessation aid carries a black box warning for neuropsychiatric events (though recent data is less alarming) and often causes vivid dreams.
What is Varenicline (Chantix)?
High doses of Citalopram (Celexa) are generally avoided (capped at 20-40mg) due to the risk of this cardiac conduction abnormality.
What is QTc prolongation?
This 1987 medication became such a cultural phenomenon that it inspired a best-selling book titled "Listening to ____" and changed the public conversation about depression.
What is Prozac (Fluoxetine)?