Mental Status Examination and Mood Disorders

Abnormally upbeat, jumpy, or wired mood, increased activity, energy, or agitation; exaggerated sense of well-being and self-confidence, decreased need for sleep, unusual talkativeness, racing thoughts, and distractibility.

Prioritize preventing physical harm, use manic symptoms to manage care (e.g., redirecting the patient), support self-control.

Assess suicidal thoughts, plan, means, intent, lethality.

Includes General Observations (appearance, grooming, dress, motor behavior, physical condition, rapport), Sensorium (memory, orientation, intellectual functioning, concentration, abstraction, calculation), Affect/Mood (affect, mood, congruency), Thought Processes (thought content, thought form), Insight and Judgment.

A structured clinical assessment focused on a patient's mental state.

Assessment phase of the nursing process.

A mood disorder characterized by persistent low mood, loss of interest in activities, and other symptoms.

Medications used to treat mood disorders like bipolar disorder, often used when mood stabilizers alone are not effective.

A mental disorder characterized by periods of elevated mood (mania) and periods of depressed mood (depression).

The act of intentionally causing one's own death.

A disorder characterized by acknowledging the consequences of alcohol use and recognizing the need for abstinence.

Symptoms include depression, drowsiness/sedation, and cravings/urges.

Increased bathroom use, consistent pain complaints, working extra shifts, calling out of work, volunteering for extra duties, or discrepancies in narcotic counts.

Low body weight, absence of menstruation (amenorrhea), muscle weakness, yellow skin, dehydration, and nutritional deficiencies.

Depression, anxiety, perfectionism, obsessiveness, and fear of gaining weight.

Educate patients that perfection isn't attainable and support patient weight gain.

Normal or overweight weight fluctuations, and irregular bowel function.

Depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.

Achieve no longer binge-purge cycles, and maintain stable weight.

Students must be able to identify which medication belongs to which class and why.

Medications used to treat anxiety disorders by reducing anxiety, tension, and fear. These medications work by enhancing the effects of GABA, a neurotransmitter that has calming effects.

A class of antianxiety medications that are highly effective in treating anxiety disorders. They work by enhancing the effects of GABA, a neurotransmitter that has calming effects.

Common examples of benzodiazepines frequently used to manage anxiety. They have a quick onset and can be effective in short-term situations.

Medications used to treat depression by increasing levels of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine, which are involved in regulating mood, sleep, and appetite.

A class of older antidepressants that can be effective for various types of depression. They are typically less commonly prescribed now due to potential side effects.

A widely used class of antidepressants that work by increasing serotonin levels in the brain.

A class of medications that work by increasing levels of serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain.

A class of antidepressants that work by inhibiting the enzyme monoamine oxidase, which breaks down neurotransmitters like serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine.

A group of antidepressants that do not fit into other categories like SSRIs, TCAs, or MAOIs.

Medications used to manage the symptoms of manic episodes in individuals with bipolar disorder. They work by stabilizing mood and reducing the intensity of manic highs.