Category neuropsychiatry
The Case Against Psychotherapy
The Case Against Psychotherapy by Lawrence Stevens, J.D. “What we need are more kindly friends and fewer professionals.” – Jeffrey Masson, Ph.D., his book Against Therapy (Atheneum, 1988, p. XV) The best person to talk with about your problems in life usually is a good friend. It has been said, “Therapists are expensive friends.” Likewise, friends are inexpensive “therapists”. […]
antipsychiatry
Controversy has often surrounded psychiatry,[1] and the anti-psychiatry message is that psychiatric treatments are ultimately more damaging than helpful to patients. Psychiatry is thought by some to be a benign medical practice, but at times is seen as a coercive instrument of oppression. Psychiatry is seen to involve an unequal power relationship between doctor and patient, and a highly subjective diagnostic […]
how to treat depression in pregnancy
Pregnancy is supposed to be one of the happiest times of a woman’s life, but for many women this is a time of confusion, fear, sadness, stress, and even depression. According to The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists ( ACOG), between 14-23% of women will struggle with some symptoms of depression in pregnancy. Depression […]
Do Not Ignore a Headache
By Shefali Sabharanjak, PhD | 6 Comments | Share | Print | Email | Tweet | Like | 1+ A thunderclap headache. Post-partum cerebral angiopathy. Sub-arachnoid hemorrhagic headache. Posterior reversible encephalopathy. Primary and benign angiopathies of the central nervous system. Call-Fleming syndrome. I am not throwing the dictionary at you. These are all sudden onset headaches resulting from changes in the flow of blood in cerebral arteries. Recent opinion tends […]
famous people with bpd
Famous people with mental illnesses have always intrigued those of us who also have a mental illness. It’s interesting to find out which celebrities have our particular mental disorder, and maybe even to compare ourselves to them. There are a few famous people with Borderline Personality Disorder; the most famous one being Princess Diana. The […]
Famous People with Mood Disorders
By Disabled World – 2008-01-14 Mood disorders what it is and a list of famous people who suffer and have suffered from various forms of mood disorders. * * * What are Mood Disorders? A mood disorder is a condition whereby the prevailing emotional mood is distorted or inappropriate to the circumstances. The two major types […]
dbs
Neurosurgery Psychiatry RESEARCH Researchers report ‘sensational success’ in patients with major depression Wednesday, April 10, 2013 Berlin: Researchers from the Bonn University Hospital implanted pacemaker electrodes into the medial forebrain bundle in the brains of patients suffering from major depression with amazing results: In six out of seven patients, symptoms improved both considerably and rapidly. Dr Volker Arnd Coenen […]
talk to your baby
The Power of Talking to Your Baby By TINA ROSENBERG BABIES AND INFANTS,CHILDREN AND CHILDHOOD,EDUCATION , By the time a poor child is 1 year old, she has most likely already fallen behind middle-class children in her ability to talk, understand and learn. The gap between poor children and wealthier ones widens each […]
alcoholism-myths
6 Myths about alcoholism by davidmillerlmft How many of these Alcohol myths have you heard? If you don’t know the signs of a disease you can pretend you don’t have it. As a society we do a lot of pretending about drugs and alcohol. Regardless of anything you may have learned alcohol is just as much a […]
Children –Dealing with Violent Rage
When Zach was 18 months old, his parents, Joe and Laurie, began thinking his behavior wasn’t normal. When Zach was happy, Laurie says he was as happy as any child. “When he was angry, it was over the top. It wasn’t like a normal tantrum.” she says. “His rages would be over absolutely nothing. He […]
eeg
EEG APA Apr 4, 2013 8 views No rating An American study has established that the benefit of an EEG used as a tool to identify the cause of widespread clinical symptoms in inpatients was underestimated. In a report published in “Mayo Clinic Proceedings”, researchers from the University of California in San Francisco (UCSF) attested that […]
SNP analysis of 5 psychiatric disorders
SNP analysis of 5 psychiatric disorders Mar 5, 2013 30 views No rating Evidence for genetic overlap Background Findings from family and twin studies suggest that genetic contributions to psychiatric disorders do not in all cases map to present diagnostic categories. We aimed to identify specific variants underlying genetic effects shared between the five disorders in […]
emotional abuse
Emotional Abuse: Effects on Children What is emotional abuse? Some examples of emotional abuse are: Name-calling, for example, saying “you’re stupid” or “you’re lazy”). Labeling children as bad instead of labeling their behavior. (Instead of saying “You are a bad boy!” say, “I love you, but it’s not OK for you to draw pictures […]
ibs
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)(Spastic Colon) Share This (See also the American Gastroenterological Association’s technical review and medical position statement on irritable bowel syndrome.) Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is characterized by abdominal discomfort or pain that is accompanied by at least two of the following: relief by defecation, change in frequency of stool, or change in consistency of stool. The […]
all mental illness have common genes
The biggest study yet into genetics and mental health has come up with a stunning result: The five most common mental illnesses — autism, attention deficit disorder, bipolar disease, schizophrenia and major depression — all have a common genetic root. The finding, published in the journal Lancet on Wednesday, may eventually lead to a complete […]
Do Steroids Cause Uncontrollable Rage?
Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has been charged with pre-meditated murder in the shooting death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. At his bail hearings, South African investigating officer Hilton Botha testified that he found two boxes of drugs that could be testosterone, and needles in Pistorius’ bedroom. PISTORIUS DENIES MURDER: Pistorius claims that he mistakenly killed […]
hydrocephalus
Hydrocephalus is a build-up of fluid on the brain. The excess fluid puts pressure on the brain, which can cause it to be damaged. The damage to the brain can result in a wide range of symptoms, including: Headache Being sick Blurred vision Difficulty walking Hydrocephalus can usually be treated using a piece of equipment […]
delirium tremens
What is delirium tremens? Delirium tremens (the DTs) is a severe reaction to withdrawal from alcohol. Delirium tremens can be deadly. The DTs usually start 24 to 72 hours after a person who is dependent on alcohol either stops or limits drinking. What is the cause? Chronic drinking changes the way the body and brain […]
drug dependence
_ _ _ _ Some people who use drugs use large enough amounts often enough and long enough to become dependent. Definitions A single definition for drug dependence is elusive. Concepts that aid in defining drug dependence are tolerance and psychologic and physical dependence. Tolerance describes the need to progressively increase the drug dose to […]
headache
_ _ _ _ _ Headache is pain in any part of the head, including the scalp, face (including the orbitotemporal area), and interior of the head. Headache is one of the most common reasons patients seek medical attention. Pathophysiology Headache is due to activation of pain-sensitive structures in or around the brain, skull, face, […]
weakness
Weakness is one of the most common reasons patients present to primary care clinicians. Weakness is loss of muscle strength, although many patients also use the term when they feel generally fatigued or have functional limitations (eg, due to pain or limited joint motion) even though muscle strength is normal. Weakness may affect a few […]
memory loss
_ _ _ _ Memory loss is a common complaint in the primary care setting. It is particularly common among the elderly but also may be reported by younger people. Sometimes family members rather than the patient report the memory loss (typically in an elderly person, often one with dementia). Clinicians and patients are often […]
brief psychotic disorder
_ Brief psychotic disorder consists of delusions, hallucinations, or other psychotic symptoms for at least 1 day but < 1 mo, with eventual return to normal premorbid functioning. It is typically caused by severe stress in susceptible people. Brief psychotic disorder is uncommon. Preexisting personality disorders (eg, paranoid, histrionic, narcissistic, schizotypal, borderline) predispose to its […]
schizophreniform psychosis
_ _ _ Schizoaffective disorder is characterized by significant mood symptoms, psychosis, and other symptoms of schizophrenia. It is differentiated from schizophrenia by occurrence of ≥ 1 episodes of depressive or manic symptoms. Schizoaffective disorder is considered when a psychotic patient also demonstrates mood symptoms. The diagnosis requires that significant mood symptoms (depressive or manic) […]
medical causes of psychosis
Differential Diagnosis of Psychotic Symptoms: Medical “Mimics” By Oliver Freudenreich, MD | December 3, 2012 For a pdf of the original article (Psychiatr Times. 2010;27[12]:52-61) and Dr Freudenreich’s bio and financial disclosure, please click here. Crude exogenous organic damage of the most varying kind can produce acute psychotic clinical pictures of a basically uniform kind. […]
erectile dysfunction
_ _ Erectile dysfunction (ED) is the inability to attain or sustain an erection satisfactory for sexual intercourse. Most erectile dysfunction is related to vascular, neurologic, psychologic, and hormonal disorders; drug use can also be a cause. Evaluation typically includes screening for underlying disorders and measuring testosterone levels. Treatment options include oral phosphodiesterase inhibitors or […]
behavioral emergencies
_Patients who are experiencing severe changes in mood, thoughts, or behavior or severe, potentially life-threatening drug adverse effects need urgent assessment and treatment. Nonspecialists are often the first care providers for outpatients and inpatients on medical units, but whenever possible, such cases should also be evaluated by a psychiatrist. When a patient’s mood, thoughts, or […]
psp
Progressive supranuclear palsy is a rare, degenerative CNS disorder causing loss of voluntary eye movements, bradykinesia, muscular rigidity with progressive axial dystonia, pseudobulbar palsy, and dementia. The cause of progressive supranuclear palsy is unknown. Neurons in the basal ganglia and brain stem degenerate; neurofibrillary tangles containing an abnormally phosphorylated tau protein are also present. Multiple […]
apraxia
Apraxia is inability to execute purposeful, previously learned motor tasks, despite physical ability and willingness, as a result of brain damage. Diagnosis is clinical, often including neuropsychologic testing, with brain imaging (eg, CT, MRI) to identify cause. Prognosis depends on the cause and extent of damage and patient age. There is no specific treatment, but […]
aphasia
Aphasia is language dysfunction that may involve impaired comprehension or expression of words or nonverbal equivalents of words. It results from dysfunction of the language centers in the cerebral cortex and basal ganglia or of the white matter pathways that connect them. Diagnosis is clinical, often including neuropsychologic testing, with brain imaging (CT, MRI) to […]
amnesia
Amnesia is partial or total inability to recall past experiences. It may result from traumatic brain injury, degeneration, metabolic disorders, seizure disorders, or psychologic disturbances. Diagnosis is clinical but often includes neuropsychologic testing and brain imaging (eg, CT, MRI). Treatment is directed at the cause. Processing of memories involves registration (taking in new information), encoding […]
intracranial tumors
Intracranial tumors may involve the brain or other structures (eg, cranial nerves, meninges). The tumors usually develop during early or middle adulthood but may develop at any age; they are becoming more common among the elderly. Brain tumors are found in about 2% of routine autopsies. Some tumors are benign, but because the cranial vault […]
rehabilitation
Rehabilitation aims to facilitate recovery from loss of function. Loss may be due to fracture, amputation, stroke or another neurologic disorder, arthritis, cardiac impairment, or prolonged deconditioning (eg, after some disorders and surgical procedures). Rehabilitation may involve physical, occupational, and speech therapy; psychologic counseling; and social services. For some patients, the goal is complete recovery […]
exercise
Exercise stimulates tissue change and adaptation (eg, increase in muscle mass and strength, cardiovascular endurance), whereas rest and recovery allow such change and adaptation to occur. Recovery from exercise is as important as the exercise stimulus. Regular physical activity reduces the likelihood of medical illness, decreases the incidence of the major causes of death, and […]
foreign travel
About 1 in 30 people traveling abroad requires emergency care. Illness in a foreign country may involve significant difficulties. Many insurance plans, including Medicare, are not valid in foreign countries; overseas hospitals often require a substantial cash deposit for nonresidents, regardless of insurance. Travel insurance plans, including some that arrange for emergency evacuation, are available […]
air travel
Air travel can cause or worsen certain medical problems; some are considered a contraindication to flight (see Table 1: Medical Aspects of Travel: Contraindications to Flying), and others may cause discomfort. Serious complications are rare. During a flight, any health care practitioner among the passengers may be asked to help fellow passengers who become ill. […]
exercise in elderly
At least 75% of people age > 65 yr do not exercise at recommended levels despite the known health benefits of exercise Longer survival Improved quality of life (eg, endurance, strength, mood, flexibility, cognitive function) Furthermore, many elderly people are not aware of how hard to exercise and also do not appreciate how much exercise […]
suicide
Suicidal behavior includes 3 types of self-destructive acts: completed suicide, attempted suicide, and suicide gestures. Thoughts and plans about suicide are referred to as suicide ideation. Completed suicide is a suicidal act that results in death. Attempted suicide is an act intended to be self-lethal, but one that does not result in death. Frequently, suicide […]
gad
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by excessive, almost daily anxiety and worry for ≥ 6 mo about many activities or events. The cause is unknown, although it commonly coexists in people who have alcohol abuse, major depression, or panic disorder. Diagnosis is based on history and physical examination. Treatment is psychotherapy, drug therapy, or […]
anxiety
Everyone periodically experiences fear and anxiety. Fear is an emotional, physical, and behavioral response to an immediately recognizable external threat (eg, an intruder, a car spinning on ice). Anxiety is a distressing, unpleasant emotional state of nervousness and uneasiness; its causes are less clear. Anxiety is less tied to the exact timing of a threat; […]
hyponatremia
_ _ _ Hyponatremia is decrease in serum Na concentration < 136 mEq/L caused by an excess of water relative to solute. Common causes include diuretic use, diarrhea, heart failure, and renal disease. Clinical manifestations are primarily neurologic (due to an osmotic shift of water into brain cells causing edema), especially in acute hyponatremia, and […]
drugs of consern in elderly
Some drug categories (eg, analgesics, anticoagulants, antihypertensives, antiparkinsonian drugs, diuretics, hypoglycemic drugs, psychoactive drugs) pose special risks for elderly patients. Some, although reasonable for use in younger adults, are so risky as to be considered inappropriate for the elderly. The Beers Criteria are most commonly used to identify such inappropriate drugs (see Table 5: Drug […]
drug related problems in elderly
Drug-related problems include Adverse effects Ineffectiveness Adverse drug effects are effects that are unwanted, uncomfortable, or dangerous. Common examples are oversedation, confusion, hallucinations, falls, and bleeding. Among ambulatory people ≥ 65, adverse drug effects occur at a rate of about 50 events per 1000 person-years. Hospitalization rates due to adverse drug effects are 4 times […]
sleep and wake fullness disorder
The most commonly reported sleep-related symptoms are insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). Insomnia is difficulty falling or staying asleep or a sensation of unrefreshing sleep. EDS is the tendency to fall asleep during normal waking hours. Insomnia and EDS are not disorders themselves but are symptoms of various sleep-related disorders. Parasomnias are abnormal sleep-related […]
parkinsons disease
Parkinson’s disease is an idiopathic, slowly progressive, degenerative CNS disorder characterized by resting tremor, muscular rigidity, slow and decreased movement, and postural instability. Diagnosis is clinical. Treatment is with levodopa plus carbidopa, other drugs, and, for refractory symptoms, surgery. Parkinson’s disease affects about 0.4% of people > 40 yr, 1% of people ≥ 65 yr, […]
neurological procedures
Diagnostic procedures should not be used for preliminary screening, except perhaps in emergencies when a complete neurologic evaluation is impossible. Evidence uncovered during the history and physical examination should guide testing. Lumbar puncture (spinal tap): Lumbar puncture is used to evaluate intracranial pressure and CSF composition (see Table 1: Approach to the Neurologic Patient: Cerebrospinal […]
approach to neurological patient
Patients with neurologic symptoms are approached in a stepwise manner termed the neurologic method, which consists of the following: Identifying the anatomic location of the lesion or lesions causing symptoms Identifying the pathophysiology involved Generating a differential diagnosis Selecting specific, appropriate tests Identifying the anatomy and pathophysiology of the lesion through careful history taking and […]
muscle cramps
A muscle cramp (charley horse) is a sudden, brief, involuntary, painful contraction of a muscle or group of muscles. Cramps commonly occur in healthy people (usually middle-aged and elderly people), sometimes during rest, but particularly during or after exercise or at night (including during sleep—see Sleep and Wakefulness Disorders: Sleep-related leg cramps). Leg cramps at […]
numbness
“Numbness” can be used by patients to describe various symptoms, including loss of sensation, abnormal sensations, and weakness or paralysis. However, numbness is actually loss of sensation, either partial (hypesthesia) or complete (anesthesia). Numbness may involve the 3 major sensory modalities—light touch, pain and temperature sensation, and position and vibration sensation—to the same or different […]
weakness
Weakness is one of the most common reasons patients present to primary care clinicians. Weakness is loss of muscle strength, although many patients also use the term when they feel generally fatigued or have functional limitations (eg, due to pain or limited joint motion) even though muscle strength is normal. Weakness may affect a few […]
deemagclinic
