Psych Exam 1 Flashcards
Amygdala
Processes emotions, anxiety, fear, and pleasure
Serotonin
inhibitory: modulates mood, emotion, sleep, pain, and appetite as related to mood, temperature regulation; some cognitive function
serotonin is decreased in what?
depressive & anxiety disorders
Dopamine
excitatory: pleasurable feelings, complex motor activities, plays a role in hallucinations
dopamine is increased and decreased in what?
decreased in depression & addiction
increased in mania and positive symptoms in schizophrenia
Norepinephrine
level in the brain affects mood, attention, and arousal. Stimulates sympathetic branch of autonomic nervous system for “fight or flight” stress response
Norepinephrine is decreased in what?
decreased in depression. Increased in mania, anxiety, and schizophrenia
GABA
major inhibitory mechanism; reduces anxiety, aggression, and stress; regulates norepinephrine, adrenaline, dopamine and serotonin
GABA is decreased in what?
decreased in anxiety, mania, and schizophrenia
Glutamate
excitatory action (too much may result in seizure activity and neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s)
Glutamate is decreased in what?
decreased in psychosis, autism, OCD, depression, and schizophrenia
Acetylcholine
cognitive functioning; sleep-wake cycles
Acetylcholine is decreased in what?
decreased in Alzheimer’s and sleep disorders. Increased in depression
Neuroplasticity
The ability of the brain to change with learning is what is known as neuroplasticity
Synaptic Pruning
Neurological process removes unnecessary/damaged neuronal structures
Over pruning is seen in what?
schizo
what is schizophrenia
psychosis characterized by abnormalities in perception, content of thought, and thought processes, and extensive withdrawal of one’s interest from individuals and the outside world
what is psychosis
a state in which the individual is experiencing hallucinations, delusions or disorganized thoughts, speech or behavior
schizo can interfere with a person’s ability to what?
think clearly, manage emotions, make decisions, relate to others
positive symptoms are..
symptoms that exist but should not be there
positive symptoms include
hallucinations, delusions, disorganized behavior, disorganized speech
what are hallucinations
Perceptual experiences that occur without actual external sensory stimuli
command hallucination
auditory Hallucinations (AH) in the form of commands. The contents of the hallucinations can range from the innocuous to commands to cause harm to self or others. This type of hallucination must be monitored carefully because they may be dangerous.
how to observe for hallucinations
eyes tracking, muttering or talking to self, appearing distracted, suddenly stopping conversation as if interrupted, or intently watching a vacant area of the room
what to ask about hallucinations
what are you hearing
DO NOT ask: what are the voices saying to you
what are delusions
Erroneous fixed beliefs that cannot be changed by reasonable argument
grandiose
belief that one has exceptional power, wealth, skills, influence, destiny
nihilistic
belief that one is dead, or a disaster is impending
Persecutory
belief that one is being watched, plotted against, ridiculed
somatic
belief about abnormalities in body function or structure
Religious
believe they have a special relationship with God or are on a mission for God, or that they are sinners
referential
believe that newspaper articles, TV shows or song lyrics are directed specifically at them
thought blocking
in the middle of talking about his childhood, the patient abruptly pauses, after which he can’t remember what he was saying
thought broadcasting
“I know you know what I’m thinking. Everybody hears what I’m thinking”
thought withdrawal
the man continually blames his poor memory on “government
thought insertion
the patient repeatedly complains of having disturbingly violent thoughts, which, she claims, are being sent to her by Satan
paranoia
an irrational fear, ranging from mild (wary, guarded) to profound (believing irrationally that another person intends to kill you)
circumstantiality
extremely detailed & lengthy talk about a topic but gets eventually to the point
tangentiality
extremely detailed & lengthy talk about a topic but usually doesn’t get to the point
loose associations
absence of normal connectedness of thoughts, ideas & topics (“I was home when the drum began beating. I flew too low.”
flight of ideas
topic of conversation changes repeatedly & rapidly with only superficial associative connections (a man begins talking about his business, but quickly shifts to discussing the economy, the government, and the other countries
echolalia
repetition of another’s words, pathological repetition of another’s word
clang association
repetition of words that are similar in sound but in no other way
EX. “I heard the bell. Well, hell then I fell.”
stilted language
overly & artificial formal language
pressured speech
as if words are being forced out
word salad
string of words totally unconnected, jumble of words meaningless to a listener
EX. “Because it makes a twirl in life, my box is broken help me blue elephant.”
neologisms
made up words, meaning for the patient only
EX. “I got so angry I picked up a dish and threw it at the geshinker.”
paranoia
suspiciousness that is unrealistic
illogicality
conclusions are reached that do not follow logically
aggression
behaviors or attitudes that reflect rage
agitation
inability to sit still or attend to others, pacing
catatonic excitement
hyperactivity characterized by purposeless activity & abnormal movements
echopraxia
involuntary imitation of another’s movements & gestures
regressed behavior
childlike/immature
stereotype
repetitive purposeless movements that are peculiar to the person
hypervigilance
sustained attention to external stimuli
waxy flexibility
posture held in fixed position
negative symtoms are
ones that should be there but are not
negative symptoms include…
affective flattening or blunting, ambivalence
alogia
Avolition
anhedonia
asociality
concrete thinking
impaired memory
impaired information processing
impaired executive functioning
affective flattening or blunting
flat or blunted emotion
ambivalence
presence of two opposing forces, leading to inaction, cant decide, stuck
alogia
brief and lack of content verbal responses, not able to elaborate (poverty of speech)
Avolition
inability to complete projects, assignments, or work
anhedonia
inability to gain pleasure, hijacks joy
asociality
decreased desire for, or comfort during social interactions
concrete thinking
inability to think abstractly
impaired memory
impacts short-term memory and the ability to learn
impaired information processing
delayed responses, misperceptions or difficulty understanding others
impaired executive functioning
difficulty with reasoning, setting priorities, comparing options, planning
Anosognosia
Inability to realize they are ill
Extrapyramidal Symptoms (EPS)
Pseudoparkinsonism
Akathisia
acute dystonia
tardive dyskinesia
Pseudoparkinsonism
stimulates parkinson’s disese and is a reversible syndrome
symptoms:
tremulousness in the hands and arms
rigidity in the arms and shoulders
Bradykinesia
Akinesia
Hypersalivation
masked facies
shuffling gait
treatment for Pseudoparkinsonism
dosage reduction or the addition of oral anticholinergic agents
akathsia
feeling of inner restlessness that can be manifested as excessive pacing or inability to remain still for any length of time
Torticollis
spasmodic and painful spasm of muscles ( head pulled to one side)
Oculogyric Crisis
eyes roll back toward the head
Opisthotonus
A type of spasm in which the head and heels arch backward in extreme hyperextension and the body forms a reverse bow
laryngospasm
spasm of throat impairing breathing and swallowing
oral-facial maxillary spasms
treat emergently as they may progress
Tardive Dyskinesia
involuntary movement disorder
may not be reversible
usually involves the orofacial region, but all parts of the body can be involved
Abnormal movements can include myoclonic jerks, tics, chorea, and dystonia
Agranulocytosi
A reduction in the number of circulating granulocytes and decreased production of granulocytes that limit one’s ability to fight off infection
Suicidal Ideation
Thinking about death, including the wish to be dead, considering methods of accomplishing death, and formulating plans to carry the act out
Suicidal Behavior
Acts associated with suicidal intent
Nonsuicidal Self-Injury
Deliberate and direct attempts to inflict painful injuries to the surface of the body without intending to die
