Psychopathology terms Flashcards
Agnosia
Fairlure to recognize or identify objects, despite intact sensory function
Akathisia
A state of motor restlessness, sometimes produced by neuroleptic medication,
that ranges from a feeling of inner distress to an inability to sit still
Aldehyde dehydrogenase
Enzyme that carries out a specific step in alcohol metabolism,
that is, the metabolism of acetaldehyde to acetate. This enzyme may be blocked by the
drug disulfiram (Antabuse).
Aliphatic
of, relating to, or being an organic compound having an open-chain structure
Amenorrhea
Abscence of menses
Amnestic disorder
severe memory impairment without other significant impairments of
cognitive functioning
Amyloid angiopathy
a neurological condition in which amyloid protein is deposited onto
the walls of the arteries of the brain, increasing the risk of bleeding into the brain
(hemorrhagic stroke)
Anhedonia
a psychological condition characterized by inability to experience pleasure or excitement in
acts which normally produce it
Anxiolytics
antianxiety medications; tranquilizers. Benzodiazepines are anxiolytic drugs.
Aphasia
Deterioration og language function
Apraxia
Impairmed ability to execute to execute motor activities, despite intact motor abilities, sensory function, comprehension
Asterixis
A flapping movement of hyperextended hands
Ataxia
Loss of ability to coordinate muscular movement
Bradykinesia
slowness in the execution of movement, as opposed to slowness in
initiation of movement. This is a feature of Parkinson’s disease and other disorders
involving the basal ganglia.
Carbohydrate deficient transferrin (CDT)
an elevation of 20 units or higher is useful in
identifying individuals who consume eight or more alcoholic drinks daily
Choreoathetosis
uncontrolled or slow movement due to muscle tone problems, usually in
large muscle groups, that leads to slow involuntary contractions of the head, limbs, trunk,
or neck
Concatenation
A series of interconected or interdependent things or events
Confabulation
The replacement of gap in a person’s memory by a falsification that he or she believes to be true
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
one of the subacute spongiform encephalopathies, a group of
central nervous system diseases caused by transmissible agents known as “slow viruses,”
or prions. Typical manifestation includes dementia, involuntary movements, and periodic
EEG activity.
Delirium
a disturbance of consciousness and a change in cognition that develops over a
short period of time
Delirium tremens
a withdrawal syndrome occurring in persons who have developed
physiological dependence on alcohol, characterized by tremor, visual hallucinations, and
autonomic instability
Delusion
a fixed false belief.
Non-psychotic delusion – a fixed false belief that is plausible
Psychotic delusion – a fixed false belief that is not plausible
Depersonalization
a state in which one no longer perceives the reality of one’s self or
one’s environment.
Derealization
an alteration in perception leading to the feeling that the reality of the world
has been changed or lost
Disorder
a disturbence in physical or mental health or functions; malady or dysfunction
Discursive
Proceeding coherently from topic to topic marked by analytical reasoning
Dysarthria
Impaired ability to articulate
Dysgraphia
Impaired ability to write
Dyskinesia
an impairment in the ability to control movements, characterized by
spasmodic or repetitive motions or lack of coordination.
Dysnomia
Impaired abillity to name objects
Dysphoria
An emotional state characterized by anxiety, depression or unease
Dysthymia
A mood disorder characterized by chronic mild depression
Dystonia
abnormal tonicity of muscle, characterized by prolonged, repetitive muscle
contractions that may cause twisting or jerking movements of the body or a body part
Echolalia
meaningless repetition of words and/or phrases; speech that involves only
echoing what is heard
Ego-dystonic
of or pertaining to aspects of one’s behavior or attitudes viewed as
inconsistent with one’s fundamental beliefs and personality (out of sync with the
individual’s self-concept)
Ego-syntonic
of or pertaining to aspects of one’s behavior or attitudes viewed as
acceptable and consistent with one’s fundamental personality and beliefs (in sync with the
individual’s self-concept)
Euthymia
a state of tranquility or quitness of mind
Facile
Easyly, without difficulty, wasy to understand or make use of
Formication
a tactile hallucination involving the belief that something is crawling on the
body or under the skin; an abnormal sensation as of insects running over or into the skin,
associated with cocaine intoxication or disease of the spinal cord and peripheral nerves
Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT)
an elevation of GGT > 30 units is a sensitive
indicator of heavy drinking
Hallucination
a perception that exists without existing sensory input
Hypertonia
Increased rigidity, tension and spasticity of the muscles
Hypnogogic
of, relating to, or associated with the drowsiness preceding sleep
Hypnopopic
associated with the semiconsciousness preceding waking
Ictal (and postictal)
of or relating to a seizure or convulsion
Idiosyncratic
due to individual disposition or susceptibility
Ipsative
designating or involving a measurement or scale calculated relative to a
person’s own performance or responses, rather than those of others
Labile
constantly undergoing or likely to undergo change; unstable (from the Middle
English labil, forgetful, wandering; from Late Latin l bilis, apt to slip). The noun form is
lability.
Lanugo
a fine downy body hair sometimes found on the trunks of individuals who suffer
from Anorexia Nervosa
Leukopenia
a condition in which the number of white blood cells circulating in the blood
is abnormally low and which is most commonly due to a decreased production of new cells
in conjunction with various infectious diseases, as a reaction to various drugs or other
chemicals, or in response to irradiation. This condition is common in Anorexia Nervosa
Menarche
the first menstrual period; the age at which this occurs
Mental disorder (DSM-IV)
a clinically significant behavioral or psychological syndrome or
pattern in an individual that creates impairment or distress in social, occupational, or other
important areas of functioning that creates a risk for death, disability, or loss of important
freedoms
Monomania
an inordinate or obsessive zeal for or interest in a single thing, idea, subject,
or the like; a psychosis characterized by thoughts confine to one idea or group of ideas
Morbid
affected by, caused by, causing, or characteristic of disease
Morbidity
the incidence of a disease; the rate of sickness, as in a specified community or
group
Nosology
The systematic classification of diseases
Organicity
the quality of having been caused by neurochemical, neuroendocrinologic,
structural, or other physical impairment or change
Overarching
encompassing or overshadowing everything
Overweening
exaggerated, excessive, or arrogant
Palilalia
repeating sounds over and over
Paresthesia
a skin sensation, such as burning, prickling, itching, or tingling, with no
apparent physical cause
Personality disorder
an enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that deviates
markedly from the expectations of the individual’s culture and manifests in two or more of
the areas of cognition, affectivity, interpersonal functioning, and/or impulse control; is
inflexible and pervasive across a broad range of personal and social situations; has an
onset in adolescence or early adulthood; is stable over time; and leads to clinically
significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of
functioning
Phencyclidine
an anesthetic drug, C17H25N, used as an animal tranquilizer; also widely
used in several forms as an illicit hallucinogen; also called angel dust or PCP
Pica
a tendency or craving to eat substances other than normal foodstuffs, especially
non-nutritive substances, seen chiefly during childhood or pregnancy or as a symptom of
dietary deficiency. (In typography, pica is used to describe standard 12-point sized type.)
Pick’s disease
a degenerative disease of the brain that particularly affects the frontal and
temporal lobes, characterized early in course by deterioration of social skills, emotional
blunting, behavioral disinhibition, and prominent language abnormalities, and most
commonly manifested in individuals between ages 50 and 60
Piloerection
the erection or bristling of hairs or fur; gooseflesh
Premorbid
occurring or existing before the occurrence of physical disease or emotional
illness
Prodromal
a premonitory (serving to warn beforehand) symptom
Psychopathy
personality disorder characterized by persistent impulsive, irresponsible,
antisocial, and often violent or aggressive behavior, often accompanied by an inability to
form normal relationships with others
Psychosis
a mental disorder characterized by symptoms, such as delusions or
hallucinations, that indicate impaired contact with reality
Senile plaques
areas where products of dying nerve cells have accumulated around
protein. Senile plaques are seen in the brain tissue of individuals who suffer from
Alzheimer’s Disease.
Sensorium
ability of the brain to receive and interpret sensory stimuli; the state of
consciousness judged in terms of this ability
Sociopathy
personality disorder that manifests chiefly in antisocial attitudes and behavior
Somatization
the occurrence of bodily symptoms in consequence of or as an expression
of mental disorder
Synesthesia
a concomitant sensation, especially a subjective sensation or image of a
sense (as of color) other than the one (as of sound) being stimulated
Tardive dyskinesia
a neurological disorder that is usually a late-developing side effect of
long-term treatment with antipsychotic drugs and is characterized by involuntary
movements of the face and jaws
Temporal lobe epilepsy
epilepsy characterized by partial rather than generalized
seizures that typically originate in the temporal lobe and are marked by impairment of
consciousness, automatisms, unusual changes in behavior, and hallucinations (as of
odors).
Veridical
truthful; veracious; corresponding to facts; not illusory; real; actual; genuine
Voluble
characterized by ready or rapid speech
