What baseline labs should be obtained prior to starting an antipsychotic? Height and weight (body mass index—BMI) Waist circumference Baseline Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) Blood pressure Electrocardiogram (for QTc monitoring) Fasting lipid profile Fasting plasma glucose Complete blood count with differential (weekly initially for clozapine) Consider a pregnancy test
What constitutes a personality disorder? “A personality disorder is an enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that deviates markedly from the expectations of the individual’s culture, is pervasive and inflexible, has an onset in adolescence or early adulthood, is stable over time, and leads to distress or impairment”. The diagnosis of personality disorders should …
What personality characteristics may be associated with temporal lobe epilepsy? Classically, the temporal lobe epilepsy personality was described as humorless, hyposexual, overly concerned with religious questions, “sticky” in interpersonal relationships, and hypergraphic. This classic description has not reliably held up and is only occasionally found in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy.
What are defense mechanisms? All people employ defense mechanisms to cope with internal and external conflicts and stressors. Some of these mechanisms are adaptive (promote functioning and strengthen relationships) while others are maladaptive. The clinician should remember that people (the clinician included) are generally trying to do the best they can with the ego resources …
Psychiatric disorders with the highest risk for suicide completion What psychiatric diagnoses carry the highest risk for suicide completion? What about suicide attempts and suicidal gestures? What about neurologic disorders? The suicide completion rates are highest for depression (∼15%) and schizophrenia (∼10%). The presence of anxiety, mixed-manic state, or eating disorder (especially anorexia nervosa) elevates …
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What are the major risk factors for suicide? Some major risk factors for suicide are presented in the below table. The strongest risk factor for suicide is the presence of a psychiatric disorder, especially a mood disorder (∼50% of all suicides). Other risk factors include access to firearms (∼50% of suicides are by use of firearms), …
What is Mania Mania is a condition that affects people who have certain mood disorders. Mania involves episodes of emotional highs that include having very high energy, racing thoughts, very high self-esteem, and decreased ability to concentrate. These episodes are very intense and can last longer than a week. In some cases, episodes of mania …