Psych definitions

Question 1

alexithymia

Answer 1

inability to express emotion

Question 2

perseveration

Answer 2

repetition of a particular response, such as a word, phrase, or gesture, despite the absence or cessation of a stimulus, inabiltiy to switch ideas

ex pts with schizophrenia perseverate in the WI card sorting task

Question 3

dyskinesia

Answer 3

slower, writhing movements of lips, tongue, jaw, or trunk

Question 4

waxy flexibility

Answer 4

the patient is awake, not normally responsive, and maintains postures into which they have been placed

Question 5

tangentiality

Answer 5

patient replies to question in an oblique way that progressively moves further and further away from the question

Question 6

circumstantiality

Answer 6

patient’s responses are indirect and delayed in reaching the goal, though she eventually gets there

Question 7

flight of ideas

Answer 7

loosened associations that are accompanied by pressured speech

common in mania

Question 8

thought blocking

Answer 8

a form of loosened associations, a sudden disruption of thought processes, often midstream

common in psychosis

Question 9

hallucination

Answer 9

sensory perception in the absence of stimuli

Question 10

delusion

Answer 10

fixed false belief

Question 11

illusion

Answer 11

misconception of an actual stimulus, not necessarily pathological

Question 12

idea of reference

Answer 12

the belief that remarks, newspapers, radio/TV/internet, or other events refer specifically to the patient or are intended for the patient

Question 13

thought broadcasting

Answer 13

belief that one’s thoughts are being broadcast for others to hear

Question 14

thought insertion

Answer 14

thoughts are being inserted into one’s mind

Question 15

thought withdrawal

Answer 15

thoughts are being withdrawan from one’s mind

Question 16

delusion of passivity

Answer 16

belief that one’s thoughts or actions are being controlled by someone else or something else

Question 17

alogia

Answer 17

dimunition of thought

seen in schizophrenia

Question 18

avolition

Answer 18

difficulty initiating and persisting in goal directed activities

seen in schizophrenia

Question 19

anosognosia

Answer 19

not recognizing that one has an illness

seen in schizophrenia

Question 20

neurological soft signs

Answer 20

subtle abnormalities on neurological exam such as poor coordination, left-right confusion, gait impairment
must distinguish from EPS due to antipsychotic medications