Psych notes Flashcards
What is an illusion?
A misperception of a real external stimulus
What is a hallucination?
A disorder of percerption, where a percept is experienced in the absence of external stimuli. Originates in the outside world, not in own mind
What are the type of hallucinations?
Auditory (2nd or 3rd person), visual, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, somatic
What is a pseudo-hallucination?
Perceptual experience which originates in space of own mind, not external sensory organs (eg, voice heard in one’s own head, not coming from the outside world)
What is an overvalued idea?
Isolated belief that can dominant a person’s life for years, often within cultural background. May be swayed by reason, not held with conviction
What is a delusion?
A disorder of thought. It is a belief that is firmly held, not affected by rational argument/evidence, not a conventional belief or within cultural background
What is a persecutory delusion?
Someone or something is mistreating, spying on, or attempting to harm them
What is a delusional perception?
A two stage process where a normal object is perceived, then there is a delusional insight into the objects meaning for the patient (eg, the traffic light is green, so I am going to die)
What is a delusion of reference?
Events/actions take on special significance to patient (eg, black cars monitoring me, the news is talking to me)
What is nihilistic delusion?
Delusion of almost nothingness (eg, nothing in bank account, insides rotting)
What is a hypochondroniacal delusion?
Firm belief they have a disease
What is erotomanic (De Clerambault’s) delusion?
Someone of higher social standing/everyone is in love with them
What is Orthello’s delusion?
Sexual partner is being unfaithful (these patients have a risk of violence)
What is Capgras’ delusion (misidentification)
Close relative/person has been replaced by an imposter (physically identical)
What is Cotard’s delusion?
Patient believes they are dead or non-existent
What is Fregoli’s delusion?
Delusional identification of a familiar person in strangers
What is Ekbom’s delusion?
Delusion of infestation
What is psychosis?
A severe mental disorder in which thought and emotions are so impaired that contact is lost with external reality
What is the difference between neurosis and psychosis?
Neurosis is a mild mental disorder not arising from organic diseases, it is less severe than psychosis. Often it is caused by stress, depression and anxiety
What is passivity phenomena?
Disorder of thought and perception. Feeling that one’s actions/thoughts are not their own, and controlled by someone else
What is somatic passivity?
Passive recipient of bodily sensations by an external force
What is catatonia?
Significantly excited/inhibited motor activity (with wavy flexibility/posturing)
What is stupor?
Loss of activity with no response to stimuli
What is psychomotor retardation?
Slowing of thoughts/movements
What are the examples of thought alienation?
Thought insertion, withdrawal, broadcast, echo, block
What is thought alientation?
The feeling that action/thoughts/feelings are being interfered with by an external force
What is concrete thinking?
Lack of abstract thinking, common childhood and aspergers
What is loosening of association?
Lack of logical association between thoughts, giving rise to incoherent speech
What is circumstantiality?
Slow, rambling, convoluted but goal directed thinking (comes back to the point, in a circle)
What is perservation?
Repetition of a word, theme, or action beyond point that is relevant or appropriate
What is confabulation, and what condition is it commonly seen in?
Giving a false account to fill the gap in memory. Seen in Korsakoff’s
What is tangentiality?
Starts on point, but wanders off topic
What is flight of ideas?
Rapid skipping from one thought to distantly related idea, often tentative relation (but not completely random)
What is echolalia?
Meaningless repetition of another person’s spoken words
What is clang associations?
Ideas that are linked by rhyme or similiarity of words alone
What is pressure of speech?
Rapid rate of delivery, many unusual associations: indicates flight of ideas
What is neologism?
New word formation, but to them sounds like it fits
What is somatisation?
Manifestation of psychological distress by the presentation of bodily symptoms: symptom based
What is clouding of consciousness?
Subjective sensation of metal clouding, described as feeling ‘foggy’. Mental confusion with impaired awareness of the environment, which is less severe than delirium
What is anhedonia?
Inability to experience pleasure from activities usually found pleasurable
What is incongruity of affect?
Emotional responses that are grossly out of tune with the situation or subject being discussed
What is flat affect?
No emotional expression
What is blunting of affect?
Little/reduced emotional expression or response
What is belle indifference?
Relative lack of concern about the nature or implication of the symptoms: can be seen in conversion disorder
What is depersonalisation?
Detached from the body, the world has become vague/dream like. Observe oneself
What is derealisation?
External world feels unreal
What is conversion disorder?
Manifestation of mental illness as physical disorder/disease
What is dissociation?
Disruptions in aspects of consciousness, identity, memory, physical actions/environment
What is a mannerism?
Repeated involuntary movements that appear to be goal directed
What is akathisia?
Sense of inner restlessness and inability to keep still. Need to be in constant motion
What is tardive dyskinesia?
Involuntary, repetitive jerky movements of head or neck. Occurs in long term anti-psychotic treatment. Grimacing, lip smacking, tongue protrusion
What is acute dystonia?
Sustained muscle contraction, short term effect
What is somatisation disorder? How long should the symptoms have been present for?
Multiple physical symptoms present for at least 6 months, focussed on symptoms. Refuses to accept reassurance or negative test results
What is hypochondrial disorder?
Persistent belief in the presence of an underlying serious disease (such as cancer). Patient refuses to accept reassurance or negative test results
What is conversion disorder?
Physical manifestation of mental illness. Typically involves loss of motor and sensory function. Doesn’t consciously feign symptoms. La belle indifference may be present
What is factitious disorder?
Consciously feigning of symptoms. Munchausen is a severe form of this
What is malingering disorder?
Falsification or profound exaggeration of illness to gain external benefits
What is dissociative disorder?
Process of separating off certain memories from normal consciousness
What is Munchausen’s syndrome?
factitious disorder, intentional production of physical or psychological symptoms. Can be by proxy
What is the difference between delusional disorder and schizophrenia?
Delusional disorder: one delusion present, for more than one month, but no other psychotic symptoms
What is an authochthonous delusion? What does it indicate?
Delusions that appear fully formed in a patient’s head. Appear like a light bulb moment, rare if the patient is not mentally unwell
What are obsessions?
Thoughts, images, impulses repeatedly enter the patient’s head. The patient is aware this is irrational
What are compulsions?
Repeated behaviours that patient feels compelled to perform, despite knowing they are irrational
What are features of opioid misuse?
Pinpoint pupils, needle track marks, drowsiness, watering eyes, rhinorrhoea
What are signs of opioid overdose?
Low GCS, pinpoint pupils, respiratory depression
What is the emergency management of an opioid overdose?
IV or IM naloxone
What is first line in opioid detoxification?
Methadone or buprenorphine
