definitions

Question 1

dysthymia

Answer 1

a chronic state of low mood, usually with an insidious onset and lasting at least 2 years

Question 2

thought echo

Answer 2

subject experiences his own thoughts as if they were being spoken out loud

Question 3

derealisation

Answer 3

an alteration in the perception or experience of the external world so that it seems unreal.
May experience everything as artificial and colourless
Life seems like actors on a stage

Question 4

Pressure of speech

Answer 4

the subject talks too much and fast with a sense of urgency

Often seen in mania

Question 5

grandiose delusions

Answer 5

delusions of being of social status of significant, of having special powers or attributes or a special mission or purpose

Question 6

hallucinations

Answer 6

a perceptions which occurs in the absence of a stimuli

Question 7

concrete thinking

Answer 7

the inability to understand abstract ideas or concepts - subjects will be focused on the here and now, physical objects and literal meanings/definitions

Question 8

depolarisation

Answer 8

a perculiar change in the awareness of self in which the individual feels as if they are not real and detached. They may feel that they have changed and the world around them is vague, dreamlike or lacking significance. The subject retails a measure of understanding and knows the condition is abnormal

Question 9

delusional perception

Answer 9

the patient receives a normal perception which is then interpreted as a delusional meaning and has immense personal meaning
e.g. on seeing a traffic light change from red to green, a man declared that he was the king of Mars

Question 10

psychomotor retardation

Answer 10

the subjects sits abnormally still or walks abnormally slowly or takes a long time to initiate movement

Question 11

euthymia

Answer 11

happy content mood

Question 12

delusions of control/passivity

Answer 12

the subject believes that their thoughts, feeling and/or actions are not their own but are being controlled/imposed by an outside force

Question 13

pseudo-hallucination

Answer 13

a sensory experience vivid enough to be regarded as an hallucinations but recognised by the subject not to be the result of external stimuli and therefore not real

Question 14

loosening of associations

Answer 14

loss of normal structured thinking. The subjects discourse seems muddled and illogical and does not become clearer with further questioning

Question 15

clouding of consciousness

Answer 15

this represents a step down from normal alertness. there is deterioration in thinking, attention, memory, perception and usually drowsiness and reduced awareness of the environment

Question 16

3rd person auditory hallucinations

Answer 16

the subject hears voices talking about him/her

Question 17

illusion

Answer 17

a false perception of a real stimulus

Question 18

thought withdrawal

Answer 18

the subject believes that his thoughts have been removed from his mind by an external agency and they have no control over this

Question 19

nihilistic delusions

Answer 19

delusions of extreme negativity i.e. no longer existing, about to die or even being dead

Question 20

affect

Answer 20

short lived observable pattern of behaviour that expresses the subjective emotional state of an individual

Question 21

perservation

Answer 21

the repetition of a particular response despite the absence of cessation of the stimulus - often seen in organic brain disorders

Question 22

aphasia

Answer 22

no speech, inability to produce words orally

Question 23

flight of ideas

Answer 23

rapid flow of thoughts, manifested by accelerated speech with abrupt changes from topic to topic, though there is often some form of like between topics - often seen in manic patients

Question 24

2nd person auditory hallucinations

Answer 24

the subject hears voices which appear to talk to them directly

Question 25

alexithymia

Answer 25

an inability to verbally express ones emotions

Question 26

thought insertion

Answer 26

the subject experiences thoughts which are not his own intruding into his/her mind

Question 27

Ideas of reference

Answer 27

a delusional belief that events or coincidence are directly linked and have personal significance to the subject e.g. believing the tv/radio is talking to or about them

Question 28

neologism

Answer 28

new words that have no real meaning

Question 29

anhedonia

Answer 29

a total inability to enjoy anything in life or even get accustomed satisfaction from everyday events or objects

Question 30

lability

Answer 30

the subjects affect is rapidly changeable and there are marked fluctuations e.g. smiling then soon after crying

Question 31

emotional incontinence

Answer 31

extreme form of lability

Question 32

delusion

Answer 32

a fixed unshakeable belief

Question 33

thought broadcast

Answer 33

the subjects experiences his thoughts as actually being shared with others