Psych Terms

Question 1

Catatonia

Answer 1

Increased resting muscle tone which is not present on active or passive movement (in contrast to the rigidity associated with Parkinson’s disease and extra-pyramidal side-effects). A motor symptom of schizophrenia.

Question 2

Anhedonia

Answer 2

The feeling of absent or significantly diminished enjoyment of previously pleasurable activities. A core symptom of depressive illness, also a negative symptom of schizophrenia.

Question 3

belle indifference

Answer 3

A surprising lack of concern for, or denial of, apparently severe functional disability. It is part of classical descriptions of hysteria and continues to be associated with operational descriptions of conversion disorder. It is also seen in medical illnesses (e.g. cerebrovascular accident [CVA]) and is a rare and non-specific symptom of no diagnostic value.

Question 4

Blunting of affect

Answer 4

Loss of the normal degree of emotional sensitivity and sense of the appropriate emotional response to events. A negative symptom of schizophrenia.

Question 5

Concrete thinking

Answer 5

The loss of the ability to understand abstract concepts and metaphorical ideas leading to a strictly literal form of speech and inability to comprehend allusive language. Seen in schizophrenia and in dementing illnesses

Question 6

Confabulation

Answer 6

The process of describing plausibly false memories for a period for which the patient has amnesia. Occurs in Korsakoff psychosis, dementia, and following alcoholic palimpsest.

Question 7

Conversion

Answer 7

The development of features suggestive of physical illness but which are attributed to psychiatric illness or emotional disturbance rather than organic pathology. Originally described in terms of psycho- analytic theory where the presumed mechanism was the ‘conversion’ of unconscious distress to physical symptoms rather than allowing its expression in conscious thought.

Question 8

Circumstantial thinking

Answer 8

A disorder of the form of thought where irrelevant details and digressions overwhelm the direction of the thought process. This abnormality may be reflected in the resultant speech. It is seen in mania and in anankastic personality disorder.

Question 9

Delirium

Answer 9

A clinical syndrome of confusion, variable degree of clouding of consciousness, visual illusions, and/or visual hallucinations, lability of affect, and disorientation. The clinical features can vary markedly in severity hour by hour. Delirium is a stereotyped response by the brain to a variety of insults and is similar in presentation whatever the primary cause.

Question 10

Delusion

Answer 10

An abnormal belief which is held with absolute subjective certainty, which requires no external proof, which may be held in the face of contradictory evidence, and which has personal significance and importance to the individual concerned. Can be primary or secondary.

Question 11

Delusional Perception

Answer 11

A primary delusion which is recalled as having arisen as a result of a perception. The percept is a real external object, not a hallucinatory experience. e.g. a patient who, on seeing two white cars pull up in front of his house became convinced that he was therefore about to be wrongly accused of being a paedophile

Question 12

Delusions of control

Answer 12

A group of delusions which are also known as passivity phenomena or delusions of bodily passivity. They are considered first-rank symptoms of schizophrenia. The core feature is the delusional belief that one is no longer in sole control of one’s own body. The indi- vidual delusions are that one is being forced by some external agent to feel emotions, to desire to do things, to perform actions, or to experience bod- ily sensations. Respectively these delusions are called: passivity of affect, passivity of impulse, passivity of volition, and somatic passivity.

Question 13

Depersonalisation

Answer 13

An unpleasant subjective experience where the patient feels as if they have become ‘unreal’.

Question 14

Derealisation

Answer 14

An unpleasant subjective experience where the patient feels as if the world has become unreal.

Question 15

Dissociation

Answer 15

The separation of unpleasant emotions and memories from consciousness awareness with subsequent disruption to the normal integrated function of consciousness and memory. Conversion and dissociation are related concepts. In conversion the emotional abnormality produces physical symptoms; while in dissociation there is impairment of mental func- tioning (e.g. in dissociative fugue and dissociative amnesia).

Question 16

Flattening of Affect

Answer 16

Diminution of the normal range of emotional experience. A negative symptom of schizophrenia.

Question 17

Flight of ideas

Answer 17

Subjective experience of one’s thoughts being more rapid than normal, with each thought having a greater range of consequent thoughts than normal. Meaningful connections between thoughts are maintained.

Question 18

Hallucination

Answer 18

An internal percept without a corresponding external object. The subjective experience of hallucination is that of experiencing a normal percept in that modality of sensation.

Question 19

Illusion

Answer 19

A type of false perception in which the perception of a real world object is combined with internal imagery to produce a false internal percept.

Question 20

Incongruity of affect

Answer 20

Refers to the objective impression that the displayed affect is not consistent with the current thoughts or actions (e.g. laughing while discussing traumatic experiences). Occurs in schizophrenia.

Question 21

Loosening of associations

Answer 21

A symptom of formal thought disorder in which there is a lack of meaningful connection between sequential ideas.

Question 22

Obsession

Answer 22

An idea, image, or impulse which is recognized by the patient as their own, but which is experienced as repetitive, intrusive, and distress- ing. The return of the obsession can be resisted for a time at the expense of mounting anxiety. In some situations the anxiety accompanying the obses- sional thoughts can be relieved by associated compulsions

Question 23

Over-valued idea

Answer 23

A form of abnormal belief. These are ideas which are reasonable and understandable in themselves but which come to unreasonably dominate the patient’s life.

Question 24

Mannerism

Answer 24

Abnormal and occasionally bizarre performance of a volun- tary, goal-directed activity (e.g. a conspicuously dramatic manner of walk- ing.

Question 25

Perseveration

Answer 25

Continuing with a verbal response or action which was initially appropriate after it ceases to be apposite (e.g. ‘Do you know where you are?’—‘in the hospital’; ‘do you know what day it is?’—‘in the hospital’. Associated with organic brain disease and is occasionally seen in schizophrenia).

Question 26

Pressure of speech

Answer 26

The speech pattern consequent upon pressure of thought. The speech is rapid, difficult to interrupt, and, with increasing severity of illness, the connection between sequential ideas may become increasingly hard to follow. Occurs in manic illness.

Question 27

Psychomotor retardation

Answer 27

Decreased spontaneous movement and slowness in instigating and completing voluntary movement. Usually associated with subjective sense of actions being more of an effort and with subjective retardation of thought. Occurs in moderate to severe depres- sive illness.

Question 28

Stereotypy

Answer 28

A repetitive and bizarre movement which is not goal-directed (in contrast to mannerism). The action may have delusional significance to the patient. Seen in schizophrenia.

Question 29

Thought blocking

Answer 29

A symptom of schizophrenic thought disorder. The patient experiences a sudden break in the chain of thought. It may be explained as due to thought withdrawal. In the absence of such delusional elaboration it is not a first-rank symptom.

Question 30

Thought broadcasting

Answer 30

The delusional belief that one’s thoughts are accessible directly to others. A first-rank symptom of schizophrenia.

Question 31

Thought echo

Answer 31

The experience of an auditory hallucination in which the content is the individual’s current thoughts. A first-rank symptom of schizo- phrenia. Also known as gedankenlautwerden or echo de la pensée.

Question 32

Thought insertion

Answer 32

The delusional belief that thoughts are being placed in the patient’s head from outside. A first-rank symptom of schizophrenia.

Question 33

Thought disorder

Answer 33

• To refer to all pathological disturbances in the form of thought.
• can also be synonym for schizophrenic thought disorder ;
  may include first-rank symptoms which are delusions regarding thought interference (i.e. thought insertion, withdrawal, broadcasting).

Question 34

Compulsion

Answer 34

A behaviour or action which is recognized by the patient as unnecessary and purposeless but which he cannot resist performing repeatedly (e.g. hand washing). The drive to perform the action is recog- nized by the patient as his own (i.e. there is no sense of ‘possession’ or passivity) but it is associated with a subjective sense of need to perform the act, often in order to avoid the occurrence of an adverse event. The patient may resist carrying out the action for a time at the expense of mounting anxiety.

Question 35

Made Actiona/feelings

Answer 35

The patient has the experience that his feelings are not his own, they have been imposed upon him.The patient experiences his action and his will to be under the control of an outside force.
First-rank schizophrenia symptom