MSE Flashcards
What is affect?
Observable emotional expression; how the patient presents to others
What are the two components of affect?
Range and congruent vs incongruent
How can you describe range of affect?
Full/broad (typical)
Blunted/flat (atypical)
What is a full affect?
External emotional expression reflects internal emotional state
What is a blunted/flat affect?
Does not fully outwardly show their internal emotional state; hard to know what the person is feeling or experiencing
What is congruent affect?
Appropriate emotional expression to the content being discussed; authentic, genuine, integrated
What is incongruent affect?
Emotions being expressed are inconsistent with their internal emotional state; inauthentic, superficial
What is mood?
Subjective emotional state
What are the components of mood?
Range, lability
How is the range of mood described?
Dysphoric/depressed
Euthymic
Euphoric/elated
What is a euthymic mood?
Tranquil, happy
What is labile mood?
Unstable, quickly changing mood
What is thought process?
How a person makes sense of the world and how a person makes connection between content
What are the components of thought process?
Form of thought
Attention
Speed of thought
How can form of thought be described?
Logical
Circumstantial
Tangential
Loose associations
Flight of ideas
What is logical form of thought?
Clear, direct connections between content
What is circumstantial thought process?
Digressions to unnecessary details in thought and speech before communicating the central idea
What is tangential thought process?
Oblique, digressive, irrelevant speech; the central idea is not communicated
What is loose association?
Little or vague connection is made between concepts; continuous tangential links between ideas
What is flight of ideas?
Multiple thoughts and ideas are generated spontaneously without obvious connection
