Chapter·PsychiatryPersonality disorders

Pharmacotherapy role in personality disordersDownloads

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1

A 35-year-old man is brought to the emergency department by his wife. She was called by his coworkers to come and pick him up from work after he barged into the company’s board meeting and was being very disruptive as he ranted on about all the great ideas he had for the company. When they tried to reason with him, he became hostile and insisted that he should be the CEO as he knew what was best for the future of the company. The patient’s wife also noted that her husband has been up all night for the past few days but assumed that he was handling a big project at work. The patient has no significant past medical or psychiatric history. Which of the following treatments is most likely to benefit this patient’s condition?

AAntidepressants

BValproic acid

CHaloperidol

DPsychotherapy

EClozapine

2

A 45-year-old man is brought to the physician by his wife for the evaluation of abnormal sleep patterns that began 10 days ago. She reports that he has only been sleeping 2–3 hours nightly during this time and has been jogging for long periods of the night on the treadmill. The patient has also been excessively talkative and has missed work on several occasions to write emails to his friends and relatives to convince them to invest in a new business idea that he has had. He has chronic kidney disease requiring hemodialysis, but he has refused to take his medications because he believes that he is cured. Eight months ago, he had a 3-week long period of persistent sadness and was diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Mental status examination shows psychomotor agitation and pressured speech. Treatment of this patient's condition should include which of the following drugs?

ATriazolam

BValproate

CMirtazapine

DFluoxetine

EBupropion

3

A 25-year-old woman presents to her college campus clinic with the complaint of being unable to get up for her morning classes. She says that, because of this, her grades are being affected. For the past 6 weeks, she says she has been feeling depressed because her boyfriend dumped her. She finds herself very sleepy, sleeping in most mornings, eating more snacks and fast foods, and feeling drained of energy. She is comforted by her friend’s efforts to cheer her up but still feels guarded around any other boy that shows interest in her. The patient says she had similar symptoms 7 years ago for which she was prescribed several selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA). However, none of the medications provided any long-term relief. She has prescribed a trial of Phenelzine to treat her symptoms. Past medical history is significant for a long-standing seizure disorder well managed with phenytoin. Which of the following statements would most likely be relevant to this patient’s new medication?

A“This medication is known to cause anorgasmia during treatment.”

B“You will have a risk for cardiotoxicity from this medication.”

C“A common side effect of this medication is sedation.”

D“While taking this medication, you should avoid drinking red wine.”

E“While on this medication, you may have a decreased seizure threshold.”

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