Psych Nursing Terms

Thought Blocking

When a psychiatric patient is suddenly unable to finish or recall a thought.

Flight of Ideas

A rapid shifting of ideas where the mind jumps from one thought to the next very quickly.

Perservation

to fixate on a task or behavior

Circumstantiality

speech that is delayed in reaching the point and contains excessive or irrelevant details

tangentiality

Abrupt changing of focus to a loosely associated topic

Loose Association

disordered thinking with little connection between thoughts

Echopraxia

Involuntary repetitive imitation of another person's movements

Neurological Malignant Syndrome

A Possibly lethal side effect of antipsychotic drugs expressed by high fever and rigidity.

Extrapyramidal Syndrome

A dysfunction of the extrapyramidal system that results in abnormal involuntary movements.

Compulsion

an irresistible impulse to perform an act

Psychomotor Retardation

A symptom of a bipolar depressive episode where mental and physical processes are slowed.

Hallucination

A sense perception with no basis in reality.

Delusion

A belief that is maintained no matter what sound evidence is given to support the contrary.

Rationalization

A defense mechanism where an individual justifies ideas, actions, or feelings with explanations.

Conversion Disorder

A disorder where there is a neurological or medical issue without any known physiological base.

Sublimation

A defense mechanism where socially unacceptable impulses are transformed to more acceptable impulses.

Regression

Psychologically reverting to an early pattern of behavior.

Introjection

Instilling the characteristics of a person or object into one's own psyche unconsciously.

Projection

a defense mechanism by which your own traits and emotions are attributed to someone else

Repression

The classical defense mechanism that protects you from impulses or ideas that would cause anxiety by preventing them from becoming conscious

Denial

Refusing to acknowledge certain thoughts, feelings, or impulses because they are painful or intolerable.

22. Suppression

Consciously hiding unwanted ideas, fears, or impulses from the mind.

Displacement

Unconsciously shifting emotions, ideas, wishes, or impulses from their original object to a more acceptable object.

Ideas of Reference

delusions in which the affected individual believes the actions and speech of others relate or refer back to them

Akathisia

motor restlessness such as fidgeting, rocking, or pacing due to the neuromuscular or neurologic adverse effects associated with the use of antipsychotics

Tardive Dyskinesia

involuntary movements of the facial muscles, tongue, and limbs; a possible neurotoxic side effect of long-term use of antipsychotic drugs that target D2 dopamine receptors

Insight

Intuitive understanding of one's own attitudes, feelings, and behaviors.

Judgment

Understanding relationships between ideas and forming conclusions from that understanding.

Psychosis

A symptom of mental illness where there are drastic shifts in personality and impaired functioning.

Neurosis

A mental state with great anxiety or insecurity that is distressing to the person experiencing it.

Transference

The process whereby emotions are passed on or displaced from one person to another

Counter-Transference

the psychoanalyst's displacement of emotion onto the patient or more generally the psychoanalyst's emotional involvement in the therapeutic interaction

Duty to Warn

Mental health professional's responsibility to break confidentiality and notify the potential victim whom a client has specifically threatened.

Euthymia

A Stable, relaxed mood.

Psychopathology

The study of the causes, expressions, and development of mental disorders.

Serotonin Syndrome

high doses or combinations produce an exaggerated response= alerted cognition (losing it, confusion, delusions, disorientation), behavioral alterations (agitation, restlessness). autonomic (fever, chills, sweat, diarrhea), neuromuscular (ataxia, hyperrefl

Anhedonia

Losing interest in activities that previously brought enjoyment.

Anergia

Lethargy

Alogia

Inability to speak caused by mental confusion, aphasia, or mental deficiency.

Korsakoff's Psychosis

A form of amnesia often seen in persons with chronic alcoholism characterized by loss of short-term memory and an inability to learn.

Involuntary Commitment

A civil proceeding in which people are hospitalized in psychiatric facilities against their will.

Somatoform Disorders

A class of psychological disorders involving physical ailments with no authentic organic basis that are due to psychological factors.

Autism Spectrum Disorders

A group of disorders where development is impaired in multiple areas, including social interaction and communication skills.

Bright Light Therapy

uses timed exposure to ultraviolet filtered light to treat depression

Electroconvulsive Therapy

A treatment method where controlled levels of electricity are directed into specific areas of the brain.

Splitting

A defense mechanism where a person's mind "splits" good and bad and compartmentalizes them into different areas. A person can alternate between what is good and what is bad.

Wernicke's Encephalopathy

A brain disorder caused by thiamine deficiency and characterized by visual disturbances, ataxia, somnolence, stupor, and , without thiamine replacement, death.

Antabuse

A drug that deters users from drinking alcohol

Passive Aggressive

Nonviolent behavior that indirectly expresses hostility or anger toward another person.

Word Salad

Disorganized speech that does not make sense. Seen in Schizophrenia