Ch 5 - Mental Status Abnormal Findings Flashcards
what is agorophobia?
intense fear of being out in the open or in a place where it is difficult to escape from
what is blocking? what does it seem related to?
- sudden interruption in train of thought
- seems related to strong emotion
what is confabulation?
the fabrication of events to fill in memory gaps
what is neologism?
coining a new word
what is circumlocution?
replacing a word with a sentence or description when unable to recall the right word
what is circumstantiality?
- talks with excessive detail
- phrases follow a train of thought but are unrelated to the topic
- can occur naturally in some people
what is flat effect?
lack of emotional response
what is depersonalization?
loss of identity, does not feel real
what is elation?
- joy
- increased motor activity
- overconfidence
- not necessarily pathologic
what is the difference between anxiety and fear?
in anxiety the source of danger is not known and in fear it is known
what is ambivelence?
the existence of two opposing emotions towards the same object, person, place
what is lability?
rapid shift of emotions
what is innappropriate affect?
behavior does not match what the person is talking about–> for example, a patient laughs while talking about a cancer diagnosis
what is a lethargic level of consciousness?
- drifts off into sleep when not stimulated
- can be aroused to name when called in normal voice but looks drowsy
When assessing level of consciousness, besides the term, what should you record?
- the level of stimulus used
- the person’s response to the stimulus
- what the person does in the absence of your stimulus
