Depressive disorders psychotic

Depressive and anxious symptoms are frequently associated with schizophrenia, but this does not necessarily mean that they fulfill the diagnostic criteria for a comorbid anxiety or affective disorder. Nevertheless, depressed mood, anxious mood, guilt, tension, irritability, and worry frequently accompany schizophrenia. These various symptoms are also prominent features of major depressive disorder, psychotic depression, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, organic dementias, and childhood... 

In clinical psychiatric terms, the affective disorders can be subdivided into unipolar and bipolar disorders. Unipolar depression is also known as psychotic depression, endogenous depression, idiopathic depression and major depressive disorder. Bipolar disorder is now recognised as being heterogeneous bipolar disorder I is equivalent to classical manic depressive psychosis, or manic depression, while bipolar disorder II is depression with hypomania (Dean, 2002). Unipolar mania is where periods of mania alternate with periods of more normal moods. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) refers to depression with its onset most commonly in winter, followed by a gradual remission in spring. Some milder forms of severe depression, often those with an identifiable cause, may be referred to as reactive or neurotic depression. Secondary depression is associated with other illnesses, such as neuro-degenerative or cardiovascular diseases, and is relatively common. 

The efficacy of psychotherapy and antidepressants is considered to be additive. Psychotherapy alone is not recommended for the acute treatment of patients with severe and/or psychotic major depressive disorders. For uncomplicated nonchronic major depressive disorder, combined treatment may provide no unique advantage. Cognitive therapy, behavioral therapy, and interpersonal psychotherapy appear to be equal in efficacy. 

Keywords Cognitive impairment Delirium Dementia Depression Anxiety Psychotic disease Neuro-psychiatric disorders... 

When is medication indicated in the treatment of psychiatric illness There is no short answer to this question. At one end of the continuum, patients with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, and severe major depressive disorder should always be considered candidates for pharmacotherapy, and neglecting to use medication, or at least discuss the use of medication with these patients, fails to adhere to the current standard of mental health care. Less severe depressive disorders, many anxiety disorders, and binge eating disorders can respond to psychotherapy and/or pharmacotherapy, and different therapies can target distinct symptom complexes in these situations. Finally, at the opposite end of the spectrum, adjustment disorders, specific phobias, or grief reactions should generally be treated with psychotherapy alone. 

Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder. Cross sectionally, it is often difficult to distinguish major depression with psychotic features from the schizophrenia spectrum disorders. There are theoretically qualitative differences in the psychosis that may help to make the distinction. Psychosis in the context of a mood disorder tends to be manifested by persecutory and nihilistic themes, but schizophrenia is more often characterized by paranoia and disorganization. However,... 

Major Depressive Disorder with Psychotic Features. One severe subtype of depression is characterized by both depressive and psychotic symptoms. Unless a longitudinal history is available, it can be difficult to distinguish a patient with a psychotic depression from a depressed patient who has a comorbid Cluster A personality disorder. Some qualitative features may be helpful, but these are not wholly reliable. The most prominent psychotic symptoms of a psychotic depression tend to be delusions and auditory hallucinations, but these sometimes present in an attenuated form more reminiscent of Cluster A symptoms. 

For the treatment of psychoneurotic patients with depression or anxiety depression or anxiety associated with alcoholism or organic disease psychotic depressive disorders with associated anxiety including involutional depression and manic-depressive disorders. 

Amoxapine Relief of depressive symptoms in patients with neurotic or reactive depressive disorders and endogenous and psychotic depression depression accompanied by anxiety or agitation. 

Dopamine Transporter SLC6A3 Inhibitors will prevent dopamine uptake (cocaine-like drugs). Important effects on locomotor activity, motivation, reward and cognition, dopaminergic hyperactivity, ADHD, depression. Parkinsonism, psychotic disorders, seizure, dystonia, dyskinesia. 

Strober, M., Lampert, C., Schmidt, S., and Mottell, W. (1993) The course of major depressive disorder in adolescents I. Recovery and risk of manic switching in a follow-up of psychotic and nonpsychotic subtypes. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 32 34 2. 

I. F. Small et al. 1986), and in our experience the same may hold true for some young patients with schizophrenia. However, confounding variables such as age and gender have not been addressed in these studies. In patients with major depressive disorder, we found no relation between seizure threshold and unipolar versus bipolar or psychotic versus nonpsychotic subtypes. Similarly, Coffey et al. (1995a) found no correlation between initial seizure threshold and severity of depressive illness or the unipolar-bipolar distinction. Finally, we found that history of ECT did not predict seizure threshold (Krueger et al. 1993). 

One of the more methodologically rigorous studies on the utility of TCA/antipsychotic combinations in treating PMD was completed by Spiker et al. [1985). In this study, 54 patients who met criteria for depression with psychotic features on the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia [Endicott and Spitzer 1978) and by Research Diagnostic Criteria [Spitzer et al. 1985) were randomly selected to treatment with amitriptyline alone, perphenazine alone, or the combination of two drugs. After a 7-day placebo washout, patients were treated for 35 days with doses averaging approximately 50 mg/day of perphenazine and approximately 200 mg/day of ami-... 

Clarify atypical or specific subtypes of presentations that may not benefit from standard treatments (e.g., atypical or psychotic depressive disorders). 

Depressive disorders can lead to death in other ways (Table 6-9). For example, depressed individuals are more prone to accidents that result from their impaired concentration and attention. They also often attempt to self-medicate, particularly with alcohol or other sedative agents, which may lead to death as a result of organ toxicity, as well as accidents. Psychotic depressive patients may act irrationally, putting themselves at greater physical risk. Although rare today, patients have died of severe malnutrition secondary to catatonic symptoms that precluded the ability to care for their basic needs. Depression can also contribute to a higher morbidity and mortality rate in patients with co-morbid medical disorders. For example, a large database indicates that depression may predispose to the development of ischemic heart disease and increase the risk of cardiac-related death ( 51). 

ECT is the most effective treatment for more severe depressive disorders, often characterized by melancholic and/or psychotic features. Although primarily used for an acute episode, ECT may also be a useful maintenance strategy for patients with frequent relapses despite adequate pharmacotherapy. 

To this list, we would add delusional (or psychotic) depression (see also Chapter 6 and Chapter 7). Whereas some have suggested that pre-ECT nonresponse to adequate pharmacotherapy is a powerful factor for predicting nonresponse to ECT ( 39, 40), others have argued for its superiority over antidepressants (alone or in combination with antipsychotics) for prior drug-nonrespon-sive nonpsychotic or psychotic depressions ( 41, 42 and 43). Support for this latter position comes from the discussion by Schatzberg and Rothschild ( 44), who separate this condition from other depressive disorders, in part because of its differential responsivity to various treatments. 

This observation is a rare phenomenon in pharmacology. Meta-analyses of studies comparing various standard antidepressants for major depressive disorder reveal that all are equally efficacious (see Chapter 7). Similarly, meta-analyses of studies comparing antipsychotics find all equally efficacious for psychotic disorders (see Chapter 5). It is unusual to find a subclass of drugs more efficacious than others in the same class. Hence, if some antidepressants are clearly more effective than other antidepressants in OCD, it is truly noteworthy. 

Bipolar affective (manic-depressive) disorder occurs in 1-3% of the adult population. It may begin in childhood, but most cases are first diagnosed in the third and fourth decades of life. The key symptoms of bipolar disorder in the manic phase are excitement, hyperactivity, impulsivity, disinhibition, aggression, diminished need for sleep, psychotic symptoms in some (but not all) patients, and cognitive impairment. Depression in bipolar patients is phenomenologically similar to that of major depression, with the key features being depressed mood, diurnal variation, sleep disturbance, anxiety, and sometimes, psychotic symptoms. Mixed manic and depressive symptoms are also seen. Patients with bipolar disorder are at high risk for suicide. 

Disorders in addition to schizophrenia that can have positive symptoms include bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, psychotic depression, Alzheimer s disease... 

FIGURE 10—6. Depressive and anxious symptoms are not only a hallmark of major depressive disorder but are frequently associated with other psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder with organic causes of depression, such as substance abuse with childhood mood disorders (child) with psychotic forms of depression and with mood and psychotic disorders resistant to treatment with drugs (treatment-resistant), among others. 

Mood symptoms of depression are associated with many conditions in addition to major depressive disorder, including mood and anxiety symptoms in schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar manic/depressed/mixed/rapid cycling states, organic mood disorders, psychotic depression, childhood and adolescent mood disorders, treatment-resistant mood disorders, and many more (see Chapter 10, Fig. 10-6). Atypical antipsychotics are enjoying expanded use for the treatment of symptoms of depression and anxiety in schizophrenia that are troublesome but not severe enough to reach the diagnostic threshold for a major depressive episode or anxiety disorder in these cases the antipsychotics are used not only to reduce such symptoms but hopefully also to reduce suicide rates, which are so high in schizophrenia (Fig. 11 — 53). Atypical antipsychotics may also be useful adjunctive treatments to anti-... 

In a 10-week randomized, double-blind, study in 64 women with recurrent major depressive disorder, the dosage of topiramate was titrated up to 200 mg/day (1130). There were no serious adverse effects, including psychotic symptoms and suicidal acts. Adverse effects such as headache, fatigue, dizziness, and paresthesia were rated as mild. After 10 weeks there was weight loss, which was usually regarded as beneficial. 

In eight patients with major depressive disorder without psychotic features, who did not respond to serotonin re-uptake inhibitors therapy when risperidone was added, all improved within 1 week. Furthermore, risperidone also seemed to have beneficial effects on sleep disturbance and sexual dysfunction (47). In an open study in 30 healthy subjects who took risperidone 1 mg orally... 

A 38-year-old man with major depressive disorder and psychotic features developed rabbit syndrome after taking risperidone 4 mg/day and paroxetine 40 mg/ day for 4 months he was also taking simvastatin 10 mg/day, thiamine 100 mg/day, and folic acid 1 mg/ day (104). 

In eight patients with major depressive disorder without psychotic features, who did not respond to serotonin reuptake inhibitors therapy when risperidone was added, all improved within 1 week. Furthermore, risperidone also seemed to have beneficial effects on sleep disturbance and sexual dysfunction (272). In an open study in 30 healthy subjects who took risperidone 1 mg orally before and after venlafaxine dosing to steady state, the oral clearance of risperidone fell by 38% and the volume of distribution by 17%, resulting in a 32% increase in AUC renal clearance of 9-hydroxyrisperidone also fell by 20% (273). The authors concluded that these small effects were consistent with the fact that venlafaxine is unlikely to alter the clearance of risperidone, which is mainly by CYP2D6. 

Several subtypes of depression require specific treatment strategies that go beyond a simple course of conventional antidepressant therapy (these subtypes include bipolar depression, major depression with psychotic features, seasonal depression, atypical depression, comorbid anxiety disorder, comorbid substance abuse, double depression [major depression... 

Psychotic depressive disorders with associated anxiety... 

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