Chapter 20 Psychiatric Emergencies

Question 1

A change in the way a person thinks and behaves that may signal disease in the central nervous system or elsewhere in the body.

Answer 1

Altered mental status

Question 2

How a person functions or acts in response to his or her environment.

Answer 2

Behavior

Question 3

The basic activities a person usually accomplishes during a normal day, such as eating, dressing, and bathing.

Answer 3

Activities of daily living

Question 4

An illness with psychological or behavioral symptoms and/or impairment in functioning caused by a social, psychological, genetic, physical, chemical, or biologic disturbance.

Answer 4

Psychiatric disorder

Question 5

A condition of disorientation, confusion, and possible hallucinations coupled with purposeless, restless physical activity.

Answer 5

Agitated delirium

Question 6

Temporary or permanent dysfunction of the brain, caused by a disturbance in the physical or physiologic functioning of brain tissue.

Answer 6

Organic brain syndrome

Question 7

A persistent mood of sadness, despair, and discouragement; may be a symptom of many different mental and physical disorders, or it may be a disorder on its own.

Answer 7

Depression

Question 8

An emergency in which abnormal behavior threatens a person’s own health and safety of another person, for example when a person becomes suicidal, homicidal, or has a psychotic episode.

Answer 8

Psychiatric emergency

Question 9

A mental disorder characterized by the loss of contact with reality.

Answer 9

Psychosis

Question 10

The point at which a person’s reactions to events interfere with activities of daily living; this becomes a psychiatric emergency when it causes a major life interruption, such as attempted suicide.

Answer 10

Behavioral crisis

Question 11

A disorder in which there is no known physiologic reason for the abnormal functioning of an organ or organ system.

Answer 11

Functional disorder