FIRST AID for the Psychiatry Clerkship Mnemonics 4th Ed – Flashcards

Appearance. Behavior. Speech. Mood. Affect. Thought Process. Thought Content. Perceptual disturbances. Cognition (Level of consciousness, orientation, attention/concentration). Memory (Registration, Short-term, long-term). Fund of knowledge. Abstract thought. Insight. Judgment.

"DIG FAST" Distractibility. Insomnia or Irritable Mood or Impulsivity. Grandiosity or Goal-Directed Acitivity. Flight of Ideas. Agitation. Speedy thoughts or speech. Talkativeness. 3/7 for 1 week for Mania with ER visit. 3/7 for 4 days for Hypomania without ER visit.

"SAD PERSONS" Sex Male. Age > 60. Depression. Previous attempt. Ethanol or drug use. Rational thinking loss. Suicide in Family. Organized plan with access. No Support. Sickness.

"SIG E CAPS." Sleep Disturbances. Interest (loss of). Guilt. Energy (low). Concentration (impaired). Psychomotor retardation or agitation. Suicidal Ideation. Need 5/8 for 2 weeks for MDD (called an episode) Need 4/8 relapsing for 2 years (1 year in children) for Persistent DD (invalid if >2 months without symptoms).

Delusions. Hallucinations. Disorganized Speech. Grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior. Negative Symptoms. Need 2/5 for at least 1 month and must persist for >6months for schizophrenia. 1 to 6 months is Schizophreniform. Less than 1 month is Brief Psychotic Disorder. Schizoaffective is 2/5 for 2 weeks in the absence of mood symptoms (in order to distinguish between mood disorder with psychotic symptoms)

Anhedonia. Affect (flat). Alogia (poverty of speech). Avolition (Apathy). Attention (poor).

"Da PANICS." Dizziness, disconnectedness, derealization, depersonalization. Palpitations, Paresthesias. Abdominal distress. Numbness, nausea. Intense fear of dying, losing control, or "going crazy." Chills, chest pain. Sweating, shaking, shortness of breath. Panic Disorder - 1 or more panic attacks with >1 month of worry about the next one.

"Worry WARTS." Worried. Wound up (keyed up, on edge), worn-out (fatigue). Absent-minded (impaired concentration). Restless. Tense (muscle tension). Sleepless. Need 3/6 for at least 6 months. 1/6 for children.

"TRAUMA." Traumatic event. Re-experience. Avoidance. Unable to function. Month or more of symptoms. Arousal increased. PTSD 4/4 >1 month for diagnosis. Trauma at any time in the past. Acute Stress Disorder 4/4 <1 month for diagnosis. Trauma <1 month ago

"CAPRI." Cognition (ways of interpreting and perceiving self, other people, and events). Affect (range, intensity, lability, and appropriateness of emotional response). Personal Relations. Impulse control. 2/4 with SOD and is pervasive, inflexible, and stable.

"Weird." Schizoid. Schizotypal. Paranoid. Familial Association with Psychotic Disorders

"Wacky." Antisocial. Borderline. Histrionic. Narcissistic. Familial Association with Mood Disorders.

"Worried." Avoidant. Dependent. Obsessive-Compulsive. Familial Association with Anxiety Disorders.