definitions Flashcards
dysthymia
a chronic state of low mood, usually with an insidious onset and lasting at least 2 years
thought echo
subject experiences his own thoughts as if they were being spoken out loud
derealisation
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
Pressure of speech
the subject talks too much and fast with a sense of urgency
Often seen in mania
grandiose delusions
delusions of being of social status of significant, of having special powers or attributes or a special mission or purpose
hallucinations
a perceptions which occurs in the absence of a stimuli
concrete thinking
the inability to understand abstract ideas or concepts - subjects will be focused on the here and now, physical objects and literal meanings/definitions
depolarisation
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
delusional perception
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
psychomotor retardation
the subjects sits abnormally still or walks abnormally slowly or takes a long time to initiate movement
euthymia
happy content mood
delusions of control/passivity
the subject believes that their thoughts, feeling and/or actions are not their own but are being controlled/imposed by an outside force
pseudo-hallucination
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
loosening of associations
loss of normal structured thinking. The subjects discourse seems muddled and illogical and does not become clearer with further questioning
clouding of consciousness
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
3rd person auditory hallucinations
the subject hears voices talking about him/her
illusion
a false perception of a real stimulus
thought withdrawal
the subject believes that his thoughts have been removed from his mind by an external agency and they have no control over this
nihilistic delusions
delusions of extreme negativity i.e. no longer existing, about to die or even being dead
affect
short lived observable pattern of behaviour that expresses the subjective emotional state of an individual
perservation
the repetition of a particular response despite the absence of cessation of the stimulus - often seen in organic brain disorders
aphasia
no speech, inability to produce words orally
flight of ideas
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
2nd person auditory hallucinations
the subject hears voices which appear to talk to them directly
alexithymia
an inability to verbally express ones emotions
thought insertion
the subject experiences thoughts which are not his own intruding into his/her mind
Ideas of reference
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
neologism
new words that have no real meaning
anhedonia
a total inability to enjoy anything in life or even get accustomed satisfaction from everyday events or objects
lability
the subjects affect is rapidly changeable and there are marked fluctuations e.g. smiling then soon after crying
emotional incontinence
extreme form of lability
delusion
a fixed unshakeable belief
thought broadcast
the subjects experiences his thoughts as actually being shared with others
