Psychiatry Mnemonics

Master Psychiatry with Mnemonics: Simplify Complex Mental Health Concepts

C

Conduct disorder vs. Antisocial personality disorder

• Conduct disorder is seen in C
• Antisocial personality disorder is seen in A
  • Reference: http://medicalmnemonics.com/

D

Depression: UNHAPPINESS:

• Understandable (such as bereavement, major stresses)
• Neurotic (high anxiety personalities, negative parental upbringing
• Hypochondriasis
• Agitation (usually organic causes such as dementia
• Pseudodementia
• Pain
• Importuniing (whingeing, complaining)
• Nihilistic
• Endogenous
• Secondary (ie cancer at the head of the pancreas, bronchogenic cancer)
• Syndromal
  • Author: Peter Loa Medical Student at Adelaide University

Depression: symptoms and signs (DSM-IV criteria): AWESOME:

• Affect flat
• Weight change (loss or gain)
• Energy, loss of
• Sad feelings/ Suicide thoughts or plans or attempts/ Sexual inhibition/ Sleep change (loss or excess)/ Social withdrawal
• Others (guilt, loss of pleasure, hopeless)
• Memory loss
• Emotional blunting
  • Author: Muhammad Firdaus, MD Private Practice

E

Erikson’s developmental stages: “The sad tale of Erikson Motors”:

­ The stages in order by age group:

• Trust and MsTrust had an auto they were ashamed of. She took the initiative to find the guilty
• She found the industry was inferior. They were making cars with dents [identity] and rolling
• fuses [role confusion]. Mr. T. Macy [intimacy] isolated the problem, General TVT absorbed the cost.
• In the end, they found the tires were just gritty and the should have used de- spare!
  • Author: VTF SN, NHCC, Texas

M

DIG FAST:

• Distractibility
• Indiscretion (DSM-IV’s “excessive involvement in pleasurable activities”)
• Grandiosity
• Flight of ideas
• Activity increase
• Sleep deficit (decreased need for sleep)
• Talkativeness (pressured speech)
  • Reference: http://medicalmnemonics.com/

Mania: diagnostic criteria: Must have 3 of MANIAC:

• Mouth (pressure of speech)/ Moodl
• Activity increased
• Naughty (disinhibition)
• Insomnia
• Attention (distractability)
• Confidence (grandiose ideas)
  • Author: Waqar Ahmed Queens University, Belfast

P

Parasomnias: time of onset

• SLeep terrors and SLeepwalking occur during SLow-wave sleep (stages 3 & 4).
• NightmaRE occurs during REM sleep (and is REMembered).
  • Reference: http://medicalmnemonics.com/

Psychiatric review of symptoms: “Depressed Patients Seem Anxious, So Claim Psychiatrists”:

• Depression and other mood disorders (major depression, bipolar disorder, dysthymia)
• Personality disorders (primarily borderline personality disorder)
• Substance abuse disorders
• Anxiety disorders (panic disorder with agoraphobia, obssessive-compulsive disorder)
• Somatization disorder, eating disorders (these two disorders are combined because both involve disorders of bodily perception)
• Cognitive disorders (dementia, delirium)
• Psychotic disorders (schizophrenia, delusional disorder and psychosis accompanying depression, substance abuse or dementia)
  • Author: Michael Waddell University of Wisconsin Medical School

S

Schizophrenia: negative features: 4 A’s:

• Ambivalence
• Affective incongruence
• Associative loosening
• Autism
  • Reference: http://medicalmnemonics.com/

Substance dependence: features (DSM IV): “WITHDraw IT“:

­ 3 of 7 within 12 month period:

• Withdrawal
• Interest or Important activities given up or reduced
• Tolerance
• Harm to physical and psychosocial known but continue to use
• Desire to cut down, control
• Intended time, amount exceeded
• Time spent too much
  • Author: Anthony Chan