🧠 Brainy Basics
😵 Disorder Decoder
💊 Meds & Methods
👩🏽⚕️👩⚕️ Nurse on Duty
📚 Real Talk – Patient Education
100
What is serotonin?
It’s the chemical messenger linked to mood, sleep, and appetite.
100
A chronic mood disorder that includes episodes of both mania and depression.
bipolar disorder
100
These drugs increase serotonin levels and are often used to treat depression.
SSRIs
100
This is the first priority for a suicidal patient.
ensuring safety and removing harmful objects
100
Patients taking MAOIs should avoid foods with this substance.
tyramine
200
What is dopamine?
This “feel-good” neurotransmitter is often linked to the brain's reward system.
200
A condition marked by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest.
major depressive disorder
200
This treatment uses electrical currents to treat severe depression
ECT (electroconvulsive therapy)
200
A calm, nonjudgmental approach is part of this essential nurse-patient skill.
therapeutic communication
200
This side effect of antipsychotics causes involuntary muscle movements.
tardive dyskinesia
300
What is the amygdala?
This brain structure is the emotional center, often overactive in anxiety disorders.
300
An intense, irrational fear of social situations.
social anxiety disorder
300
A drug used to stabilize mood in patients with bipolar disorder.
lithium
300
Before administering lithium, the nurse must check this lab level.
serum lithium level
300
Patients must be taught that SSRIs may take this long to start working.
2 to 4 weeks
400
What is schizophrenia?
This disorder is caused by an imbalance of neurotransmitters and results in hallucinations and delusions.
400
Repeated, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and ritual behaviors (compulsions).
OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)
400
These therapies involve talking with a licensed therapist to change negative thought patterns.
CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
400
When a patient is pacing, shouting, and clenching fists, the nurse should do this.
de-escalate and maintain safety
400
Patients on lithium should be educated to maintain this type of diet.
consistent sodium intake
500
What are psychobiologic disorders? 
A family of conditions that result from dysfunction in brain chemicals and circuitry
500
A trauma-related condition that may involve flashbacks, nightmares, and hypervigilance.
PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)
500
This class of medications can reduce hallucinations in schizophrenia.
antipsychotics
500
Nurses use this acronym to assess suicide risk:
SAD PERSONS
500
Suddenly stopping psychiatric meds may lead to this dangerous outcome.
withdrawal or relapse