Phenomenology Flashcards
Define illusion.
Misinterpreting an external stimulus
Define hallucination.
An experience in the absence of an external stimulus
Similar quality to a real perception
Experienced as originating in real world, not inside mind
What are hypnogogic and hypnopompic hallucinations?
HyponGOgic - going to sleep
Hypnopompic - waking up
What is a reflex hallucination?
Stimulation in one modality produces a hallucination in another
Seeing flashing lights when hearing the phone ring
What is an extracampine hallucination?
Hallucinations experienced outside the sensory field.=, outside of what is reasonable and possible.
Hearing people speaking in Australia
Types of auditory hallucinations?
2nd person: voices talking to the patient
3rd person: voices discussing the patient, or giving a running commentary of what they’re doing.
What is a pseudohallucination?
Hallucination that arises in the person’s mind, rather than through one of the sensory organs
Define passivity phenomena.
The feeling that an external agency is controlling the patient’s thoughts and actions, feelings.
What is somatic passivity?
Belief that a bodily sensation is the result of an external agency
What is a:
- made act / made drive
- made feeling?
Made act / drive: action controlled by external agency
Made feeling: external agency is causing patient to feel a certain way
What is catatonia?
When does it occur?
A state in which a person becomes mute, in a stupor or adopts a bizarre posture for many hours.
Seen in late stages of schizophrenia
What are some features of catatonia?
Mutism
Echolalia
Adopting and holding a bizarre position for many hours
No response to external stimuli
Define:
- waxy flexibility
- echolalia
- echopraxia
- stupor
- psychomotor retardation
Waxy flexibility: type of catatonia where the limbs can be moved passively by someone which are then retained for hours
Echolalia: repetition of someone’s spoken words
Echopraxia: mimicking of someone else’s movements
Stupor: a state of near unconsciousness, with apparent mental inactivity and no response to stimulation
Psychomotor retardation: movement is very slow due to mental disorder
Define delusion.
A false belief that is firmly held
not affected by rational argument or evidence to contrary
that is outside of the persons normal cultural and social background
List and define some types of delusion.
Persecutory: belief that someone is out to harm you, you’re being followed
Grandiose: belief that you have special powers or abilities
Nihilistic: belief that everything is negated or absent
Misidentification: a family member has been replaced, by a stranger masquerading as them, or that everyone is actually one person masquerading as many people
Hypochondriacal
Guilt: belief that you’re responsible for something terrible, which you aren’t.
What is a delusional perception?
A delusion triggered by an incorrect perception of something.
Being stopped at a red light made you realise the MI5 were tracking you
Define thought disorder (AKA thought alienation).
List and define the types (there are 5!)
A feeling that one’s thoughts are being interfered with.
Though insertion: thoughts implanted into your head that aren’t yours
Thought withdrawal: thoughts are being extracted by an external agency
Thought broadcast: belief that thoughts are being broadcast to everyone
Thought echo: when a thought is echoed in your mind
Thought block: all thoughts are emptied from mind
Define concrete thinking? When is it normal and when is it not?
When a person takes phrases such as sayings very literally.
Normal in children, abnormal in adults
Define loosening of association.
Flitting from topic to topic with no association between the topics.
Speech is incoherent and hard to follow
Define circumstantiality.
Slow, rambling, convoluted speaking.
They do eventually reach their goal and there is an obvious train of thought
Define perseveration.
Repetition of a word, theme or action beyond the point that it was relevant and appropriate.
They may keep answering questions with the same answer.
Define confabulation. When is it most commonly seen?
Giving a false account to fill a gap in their memory. They will believe what they say is true.
Seen commonly in severe chronic alcohol misuse
Define:
- flight of ideas
- pressure of speech
Flight of ideas: ideas are coming really fast, rapid skipping between thoughts, tentative train of thought
Pressure of speech: speaking fast, continuously, unusually
Define affect. What are 3 problems seen with affect?
Emotional tone of a person.
Incongruity: expression doesn’t match up to what they’re feeling
Blunting: not much expression when talking about something that should cause emotion
Flatting: no expression
