Elevated prolactin levels (>29 ng/mL in nonpregnant, nonlactating women, >18 ng/mL in men)
that can cause the following symptoms:
● Women: Menstrual irregularity or amenorrhea, infertility, lowered libido, galactorrhea, decreased bone density,
increase or thickening of hair in unexpected areas such as face.
● Men: Breast enlargement (gynecomastia), erectile dysfunction, low libido, infertility, galactorrhea.
Patients with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) may be admitted to inpatient units for a variety of reasons. Either way, ASD patients can be challenging, and this fact sheet will remind you
of the basic features of ASD as well as some helpful treatment measures to implement.
This sheet guides you in how to use medications to rapidly treat patients with severe mania. Many of these patients
have bipolar disorder; others may have schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type, while others may have arrived on your
unit with a murky psychiatric history but with agitation, racing thoughts and other hallmarks of mania.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a highly effective approach for patients with anxiety disorders—but only if they
demonstrate motivation and a commitment to complete therapeutic exercises and apply learned coping mechanisms.
This fact sheet aims to provide an evidence-based guide on when and why to order an EKG, medications that may
necessitate an EKG, and basic EKG interpretation tips.
Patients who deliberately swallow objects are among the most challenging you’ll work with. Deliberate foreign body ingestion (DFBI) is costly and resource intensive, in part because of these patients’ extremely high rate of repeated swallowing attempts: Over 80% of DFBI presentations occur in patients with prior ingestions. Pens, toothbrushes, and batteries are among the most commonly ingested items.
1. Gambling becomes disordered when it causes harmful consequences in a person's life.
2. An individual with a gambling disorder will continue to gamble despite negative outcomes and will
experience intense urges and cravings.
3. The DSM-5 classifies gambling disorder as an addiction, under the substance-related and addictive
disorders section.
The most challenging aspect of diagnosing bipolar disorder is establishing a history of a manic or hypomanic episode.
Patients with bipolar disorder spend much more time in depressed episodes and may not clearly recall having had a
manic episode. Furthermore, the symptoms of mania overlap with other syndromes, such as borderline personality
disorder, psychosis, anxiety, and ADHD.