NR 547 Differential Diagnosis in Psychiatric-Mental
Health across the Lifespan Practicum - Chamberlain
, NR 547 Week 6
1. Neurocognitive disorders: delirium and dementia
2. Dementia: -a group of symptoms that mainly affects memory, cognition
and social interactions, and the ability to do everyday tasks.
-Symptoms start gradually often with no clear beginning, and are usually
permanent.
-Most dementias are caused by neurodegenerative diseases, most
commonly Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia and frontotemporal
dementia
• clumps of abnormal proteins to build up inside neurons, damaging
them, and causing them to slowly degenerate and die
-vascular dementia is another common cause of progressive dementia
• brain damage occurs when the blood supply to the neurons is reduced or
blocked, again causing them to malfunction
or die
-Cognitive Symptoms: Difficulty with complex tasks, Difficulty planning and
organiz- ing, Loss of coordination
-Psychological symptoms: Personality changes, Inappropriate behaviour,
Paranoia, Fear, anxiety, anger or depression.
,3. Delirium: ACUTE SUDDEN CHANGE IN MENTAL STATE
-typically begins suddenly with a noticeable start point.
-mainly affects attention, and often resolves after a few days or weeks,
although it can last longer.
-acute, transient, and usually reversible brain malfunction
-thought to be brought on by multiple neurotransmitter imbalances
4. Delirium symptoms: -Cognitive Symptoms: Rambling or nonsense speech,
Diffi- culty reading and writing, Wandering attention, Becoming easily
distracted, Becom- ing withdrawn,
-Psychological symptoms: Inability to focus, Reduced awareness of the
environ- ment, Disturbed sleep
-May have hallucinations
-symptoms can fluctuate throughout the day
5. causes of delirium: -lack of oxygen
-drugs
• anticholinergics
• psychoactives
• opioids
-withdrawal
• delirium tremens
-stressful situations
, -dehydration & electrolyte
imbalance infections
6. tell the difference between delirium and dementia: onset
attention
do symptoms fluctuate?
7. Alzheimer's disease: -type of dementia
• 60-80% of dementias
-neurodegenerative disease
-Hallmarks:
• plaques - abnormal protein (beta-amyloid plaques) between neurons
• tangles - tau protein inside neurons (neurofibrillary tangles)
8. Alzheimer's disease brain progression: -Plaques & tangles usually start
form- ing and spread from the cortex
• earliest areas affected temporal lobe (learning & memory)
• as it spreads goes to frontal lobe (thinking & planning)
• then more temporal (speaking & communicating)
• then parietal lobe (sense of where body is in relation to objects around
you)
• severe & late Alzheimer's disease, plaques & tangles spread throughout
Health across the Lifespan Practicum - Chamberlain
, NR 547 Week 6
1. Neurocognitive disorders: delirium and dementia
2. Dementia: -a group of symptoms that mainly affects memory, cognition
and social interactions, and the ability to do everyday tasks.
-Symptoms start gradually often with no clear beginning, and are usually
permanent.
-Most dementias are caused by neurodegenerative diseases, most
commonly Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia and frontotemporal
dementia
• clumps of abnormal proteins to build up inside neurons, damaging
them, and causing them to slowly degenerate and die
-vascular dementia is another common cause of progressive dementia
• brain damage occurs when the blood supply to the neurons is reduced or
blocked, again causing them to malfunction
or die
-Cognitive Symptoms: Difficulty with complex tasks, Difficulty planning and
organiz- ing, Loss of coordination
-Psychological symptoms: Personality changes, Inappropriate behaviour,
Paranoia, Fear, anxiety, anger or depression.
,3. Delirium: ACUTE SUDDEN CHANGE IN MENTAL STATE
-typically begins suddenly with a noticeable start point.
-mainly affects attention, and often resolves after a few days or weeks,
although it can last longer.
-acute, transient, and usually reversible brain malfunction
-thought to be brought on by multiple neurotransmitter imbalances
4. Delirium symptoms: -Cognitive Symptoms: Rambling or nonsense speech,
Diffi- culty reading and writing, Wandering attention, Becoming easily
distracted, Becom- ing withdrawn,
-Psychological symptoms: Inability to focus, Reduced awareness of the
environ- ment, Disturbed sleep
-May have hallucinations
-symptoms can fluctuate throughout the day
5. causes of delirium: -lack of oxygen
-drugs
• anticholinergics
• psychoactives
• opioids
-withdrawal
• delirium tremens
-stressful situations
, -dehydration & electrolyte
imbalance infections
6. tell the difference between delirium and dementia: onset
attention
do symptoms fluctuate?
7. Alzheimer's disease: -type of dementia
• 60-80% of dementias
-neurodegenerative disease
-Hallmarks:
• plaques - abnormal protein (beta-amyloid plaques) between neurons
• tangles - tau protein inside neurons (neurofibrillary tangles)
8. Alzheimer's disease brain progression: -Plaques & tangles usually start
form- ing and spread from the cortex
• earliest areas affected temporal lobe (learning & memory)
• as it spreads goes to frontal lobe (thinking & planning)
• then more temporal (speaking & communicating)
• then parietal lobe (sense of where body is in relation to objects around
you)
• severe & late Alzheimer's disease, plaques & tangles spread throughout
