Trauma & Stress Disorders
This disorder is characterized by lasting 3 days to 1 month after exposure to a traumatic incident.
What is acute stress disorder?
This eating disorder is characterized by discrete periods of overeating that occur at least once a week and features weight gain.
What is binge eating?
A person diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder might be recommended these types of therapy.
What are cognitive-behavioral and behavioral therapies like response prevention, thought stopping, and systemic desensitization?
This type of medication is often used for OCD due to its ability to stop obsessive thoughts.
What is a high-dose SSRI?
Bonnie was looking through MyChart and noticed "sertraline 50 mg PO daily" listed as one of her active medications. Not recognizing it, she turned to Google and discovered this brand name for the med.
What is Zoloft?
These are three signs/symptoms of a trauma or stress related disorder.
Someone with bulimia will often use these tactics to quickly evacuate the binged food from their body.
What are laxatives, vomitting, and enemas?
At an intake appointment, a psychologist tells Damon these symptoms are indicative of Generalized Anxiety Disorder which Damon is exhibiting.
What are: feeling anxious more days than not for six months or longer, finding it hard to control worry, and symptoms causing disruptions/impairment in social and/or occupational functioning?
Though lithium is the front-line medication for bipolar disorder, these other medications are possibilities.
What are anticonvulsants (Vaproic Acid/Depakote & Carbamazepine/Tegretol) and Lamotrigine (Lamictal)?
SSRIs and SNRIs work by performing these actions in the brain.
What are:
SSRIs prevent re-uptake of serotonin from the neuron which released it, leaving it longer in the body.
SNRIs prevent re-uptake of norepinephrine from the neuron which released it, leaving it longer in the body?
Pete was in a very minor car accident six months ago that left him afraid to drive, anxious to even get into a car, and visibly startling every time he heard a car horn. He missed a few weeks of work before his boss agreed to a temporary work-from-home situation.
For nearly three months after the event, Pete was on an SSRI and was in therapy. He came off the meds and began driving again around month four.
Pete likely experienced this trauma & stress related disorder.
What is adjustment disorder?
When Demelza feels out of control, she will often go to the grocery store, buy herself a cake or a pizza, and take it home. Even though she tells herself she will have only a couple of slices, before she knows it, the entire cake or pizza is gone.
Feeling better initially, Demelza then panics and will take herself for a five-mile run, pushing herself so hard that she vomits.
When asked by her therapist, Demelza admits that this happens at least once a week. Her therapist suspects that Demelza may be suffering from this eating disorder.
What is bulimia?
Ross is in the middle of administering a math exam when a student suddenly rushes out the door. Ross goes into the hall to find the student sitting on the floor with their head between their knees. Ross kneels down and asks the student what's going on.
The student is rapidly sucking in breaths of air, is silently crying, and when Ross can get them to talk, they complain of chest pain and ask if they are dying. Ross recognizes the student is likely experiencing this.
What is a panic attack?
Whenever Sheldon goes across the hall to Penny's apartment, he must knock three times and call "Penny" and complete that sequence three times total. If he is interrupted, it upsets him and he must complete the task.
This action is on a list with these other examples of compulsions.
What are checking & re-checking, ritualistic order, repeating actions, counting things, and hurting self?
A patient recently found out they were pregnant. When the psychiatrist says they will need to come off their lithium for another medication, the patient asks about Valproate/Depakote.
The provider informs the patient that these four adverse effects of the medication make it not a good choice.
What are neural tube defects in a fetus, pancreatitis, hepatotoxicity, and thrombocytopenia?
Paige experienced a sexual assault last weekend at a college party. When she went to the ED to have an exam and file a police report, she also met with a crisis intervention counselor to help her talk through her initial trauma and feelings surrounding the event.
The counselor referred Paige for ongoing therapy, educating her that these types might be the best for acute stress disorder as well as PTSD.
What are: cognitive-behavioral therapy, EMDR, hypnotherapy, and group therapy?
Klaus is caring for a 15-year-old girl named Elena on an inpatient ward for eating disorders. Elena is recovering from anorexia nervosa.
Klaus knows that during meal time, Elena requires these nursing interventions.
What are: supervised eating, clear amount of time to eat, must finish everything on her plate, no private time in the bathroom for one hour afterwards, and strict calorie counting and daily weight?
In order to be diagnosed with panic attacks, a patient should exhibit these symptoms.
What are: a) recurrent unexpected panic attacks b) at least one attack has been followed by 1 month or more of worry about another attack and significant maladaptive changes in response?
Sam was recently diagnosed with Bipolar I. When asking their psychologist to further explain this diagnosis, the psychologist would tell Sam that these are characteristics of the disorder.
What are:
-at least one manic phase (lasts at least one week for most of each day) characterized by feelings of grandiosity, risk taking behavior/fearlessness, decreased need for sleep or food, racing thoughts, psychomotor agitation, and talkative behavior
-Could be preceded or followed by a major depressive or hypomanic episode
These two medications are tricyclic antidepressants and are used to treat these two conditions.
What are Amitriptyline (Elavil) and Clomipramine (Anafranil) which can treat migraines and depression?
Matt is having an intake meeting with a Veteran who called the Veterans Crisis Line two days ago. During this orientation phase, Matt should be performing screenings for these conditions.
What are anxiety, depression, and suicide?
16-year-old Caroline has been taken the doctor by her mother who is concerned about her. Her mother tells the doctor that she believes Caroline may be suffering from anorexia nervosa.
These are signs and symptoms Caroline would have if her mother is correct.
What are weight significantly lower than normal for age/gender, obsession over weight and altered perceptions in their own weight, calorie restriction?
Additional physical characteristics: brittle nails, dry skin.
Luther has recently been diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. He asks his provider if he will be taking benzodiazepines regularly. The provider tells Matt that benzos are typically used short term, but these other types of medications are more appropriate for ongoing care.
What are SSRIs, SNRIs, and atypical anxiolytics?
A person diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder will experience five or more of these symptoms in a two week period.
What are: significant unintentional weight loss or gain, changes in sleep habits (more or less sleep), a sense of worthlessness or extreme guilt, psychomotor changes severe enough to be noticed by others (like frequent agitation), ongoing tiredness or fatigue, and a diminished ability to think, concentrate, or make decisions?
Dwight recently began taking lithium for his bipolar. His nurse informs him that he will need regular bloodwork to ensure he stays within this therapeutic range and that he should be on the lookout for these adverse affects.
What is 0.6-1.2 and:
Movement (fine hand tremors)
Nephrotoxicity
HypOtension
Pregnancy - contraindicated due to heart defect?