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Vocabulary list for mental status examAffect—the external manifestation of a feeling or emotion that is manifested in facial expressions, tone of voice, and body languageAkathisia—regular rhythmic movements, usually of the lower limbs, with constant pacing sometimes seen; often noticed in people taking antipsychotic medicationAmbivalence—the holding; at the same time, of two opposing emotions, attitudes, ideas, or wishes toward the same person, situation, or objectAnhedonia—the inability to experience pleasureAnorexia—a medical term that signifies a loss of appetite, a person with this disorder may suppress the desire for food in order to control his or her eatingAnxiety—a state of feeling apprehension, uneasiness, uncertainty, or dread; results from a real or perceived threat whose actual source is unknown and unrecognized Associative looseness/loose associations—a disturbance of thinking in which ideas shift from one subject to another in an oblique or unrelated mannerBoundaries— functions that maintain a distinction among individuals within a family or group and between family members and the outside world. Boundaries may be clear, diffuse, ridged, or inconsistent.Clang association—the meaningless rhyming of words, often in a forceful mannerConcrete thinking—thinking grounded in immediate experience rather than abstraction. There is an overemphasis on specific detail as opposed to general and abstract conceptsConfabulation—the filling of a memory gap with a story that is believed by the teller. The purpose is to maintain self-esteem, and it is seen in organic conditions such as dementiaDelusion—a false belief held to be true even with evidence to the contraryEcholalia—repeating of the last words spoken by another; mimicry or imitation of the speech of anotherpersonEchopraxia—mimicry or imitation of the movements of another personEmpathy—the ability of one person to get inside another’s world, see things from the other person’s perspective, and communicate this understanding to the other personFlight of ideas—a continuous flow of speech in which the person jumps rapidly from one topic to another. Sometimes the listener can keep up with the changes at other times, it is necessary to listen forthemes in the incessant talking. Themes often include grandiose and fantasized evaluation of personal sexual prowess, business ability, artistic talents, and so forthGrandiosity—exaggerated belief in or claims about one’s importance or identity Hypersomnia—the spending of increased time in sleep, possibly to escape from painful feelings however, the increased sleep is not experienced as restful or refreshingHypomania—an elevated mood with symptoms less severe than those of mania, a person in hypomania does not experience impairment in in reality testing, nor do the symptoms markedly impair the persons social, occupational, or interpersonal functionsIdeas of reference—the false impression that outside events have special meaning for oneselfIllusions—errors in the perception of a sensoryMania—and unstable elevated mood in which delusion, poor judgment, and other signs of impaired reality testing are evident, during a manic episode patients have marked impairment of social, occupational, and interpersonal functioningMilieu therapy—a psychiatric philosophy that involves a secure environment to effect positive change, take naturally occurring events in the environment and uses them as rich learning opportunities for patientsNeologism—words a person makes up that have meaning only for that person; often part of a delusional systemParanoia—a state characterized by the presence of intense and strongly defended irrational suspicions, these ideas cannot be corrected by experience and cannot be modified by facts or realityPerseveration—the involuntary repetition of the same thought, phrase or motor responsePsychomotor agitation—constant involvement in tension-relieving activities, such as pacing, biting ones nails, smoking, or tapping ones fingers on a tablePsychomotor retardation—extreme slowness of and difficulty in physical and emotional reactions that in the extreme can entail complete inactivity and incontinence Suicidal ideation—thoughts a person has regarding killing himself or herselfWord salad—a mixture of words meaningless to the listener and the speaker as wellAbstract thinking—the ability to use concepts and to make and understand generalizations, such as properties or pattern shared by a variety of specific items or eventsAvolition—a psychological state characterized by general risk of drive or motivation to pusue meaningful goals. A person will show little participation in work or have little interest in socializing. They may stay sill for long periods of timeBlocking—the action or process of obstructing movement, progress, or activity, in particularBlunted (affect)—lack of emotional reactivity on the part of an individual. Failure to express feelings either verbally or non-verbally, especially when talking about issues that would normally be expected to engage the emotionsCatatonia—abnormality of movement and behavior arising from a disturbed mental stateCircumstantial speech—a communication disorder in which the focus of a conversation drifts, but often come back to the pointCompulsion—an irresistible urge to behave in a certain way, especially, against ones conscious wishes Depression—severe despondency and dejection, typically felt over a period of time and accompanied byfeelings of hopelessness and inadequacyDisorientation—opposite of orientation, it is a cognitive disability in which the sense of time, direction and recognition of items people and places become difficult to identifyDystonia—abnormal muscle tone resulting in muscular spasm and abnormal posture, typically due to neurological diseases or side effects of drug therapyEuthymic—normal non-depressed, reasonably positive moodFlat (affect)—one of the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, the person lacks a normal range of feelings and behaviorsHallucination—an experience involving the apparent perception of something not presentHostile -- unfriendlyInsight—the capacity to gain an accurate and deep intuitive understanding of a person or thingJudgment—the ability to make considered decisions or come to sensible conclusionsLabile—liable to change, easily alteredMood—a temporary state of mind or feelingPersecution—hostility and


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UT NURS 3630 - Lecture notes

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