Category Archives: Psychiatric

The topic of this page is Dysautonomia/POTS, a condition we see occasionally at Shands. This is quite disabling and misunderstood, so I wanted to provide a brief overview. What is Dysautonomia? It’s an umbrella term for disorders of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). What is POTS? How common is dysautonomia? POTS?  What are are the symptoms of dysautonomia? Continue reading “Dysautonomia”

We often see patients with feeding difficulties that don’t fit with anorexia nervosa, but are more attributable to food aversion/sensory issues. This is known as ARFID or avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder. Here is some background info.

We received a consult to evaluate for “abulia vs akinetic mutism”. You may be unfamiliar with these terms. Here is a brief overview: Definition Akinetic mutism is the most severe presentation along a spectrum of disorders affecting motivation and initiation. Least severe      Apathy –> Abulia –> Akinetic mutism             Most severe These patients have theContinue reading “Akinetic Mutism”

We get a TON of consults for agitation in delirium and dementia. Our treatment plan often involves prescription of one or more medications.  But an often underappreciated aspect in care is behavioral interventions.  Agitation in a delirious patient or patient with dementia often reflects an unmet need. They do not have the ability to communicate their need, so theirContinue reading “Agitation as Unmet Needs”

On CL, we frequently get consulted for new-onset hallucinations. Often, we find that these are due to delirium. However, there is a subset of patients who have something called hypnagogic hallucinations. Here is a brief overview: Hypnagogic Hallucinations Definition: Hallucinations at sleep onset (during transition from wake to sleep)     -Due to a REM intrusion into wakefulness Epidemiology Severity -Most casesContinue reading “Hypnagogic Hallucinations”