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Terms Appendix C
Glossary of Technical Terms
61
Social Work
Graduate
01/24/2012

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Term

affect

Definition

A pattern of observable behaviors that is the expression of a subjectively experienced feeling state (emotion).  affect refers to more fluctuating changes in emotional "weather."

Restricted or constricted-Mild reduction in the range and intensity of emotional expression.

Blunted-Significant reduction in the intensity of emotional expression.

Flat-Absence or near absence of any signs of affective expression.

Inappropriate-Discordance between affective expression and the content of speech or ideation.

Labile-Abnormal variability in affect with repeated, rapid, and abrupt shifts in affective expression.

Term
agitation (psychomotor agitation)
Definition

Excessive motor activity associated with a feeling of inner tension.

The activity is usually nonproductive and repetitious. 

Term
agonist medication
Definition

A chemical entity extrinsic to endogenously produced substances that acts on a receptor and is capable of producing the maximal effect that can be produced by stimulating that receptor. A partial agonist is capable only of producing less than the maximal effect even when given in a concentration sufficient to bind with all available receptors.

Term
agonist/antagonist medication
Definition

A chemical entity extrinsic to endogenously produced substances that acts on a family of receptors (such as mu, delta, and kappa opiate receptors) in such a fashion that it is an agonist or partial agonist on one type of receptor and an antagonist on another.

Term
Alogia
Definition
An impoverishment in thinking that is inferred from observing speech and language behavior. There may be brief and concrete replies to questions and restriction in the amount of spontaneous speech (poverty of speech). Sometimes the speech is adequate in amount but conveys little information because it is overconcrete, overabstract, repetitive, or stereotyped (poverty of content).
Term
Amnesia
Definition
Loss of memory
Anterograde-Loss of memory of events that occur after the onset of the etiological condition or agent.

Retrograde-Loss of memory of events that occurred before the onset of the etiological condition or agent.
Term
antagonist medication
Definition
A chemical entity extrinsic to endogenously produced substances that occupies a receptor, produces no physiologic effects, and prevents endogenous and exogenous chemicals from producing an effect on that receptor.
Term
Aphasia
Definition
An impairment in the understanding or transmission of ideas by language in any of its forms—reading, writing, or speaking—that is due to injury or disease of the brain centers involved in language.
Term
Aphonia
Definition
An inability to produce speech sounds that require the use of the larynx that is not due to a lesion in the central nervous system.
Term
Ataxia
Definition
Partial or complete loss of coordination of voluntary muscular movement
Term
Avolition
Definition
-An inability to initiate and persist in goal-directed activities. When severe enough to be considered pathological, avolition is pervasive and prevents the person from completing many different types of activities (e.g., work, intellectual pursuits, self-care).
Term
Catalepsy
Definition
Waxy flexibility—rigid maintenance of a body position over an extended period of time.
Term
Cataplexy
Definition
Episodes of sudden bilateral loss of muscle tone resulting in the individual collapsing, often in association with intense emotions such as laughter, anger, fear, or surprise.
Term
catatonic behavior
Definition
Marked motor abnormalities including motoric immobility (i.e., catalepsy or stupor), certain types of excessive motor activity (apparently purposeless agitation not influenced by external stimuli),extreme negativism (apparent motiveless resistance to instructions or attempts to be moved) or mutism, posturing or stereotyped movements, and echolalia or echopraxia.
Term
conversion symptom
Definition
A loss of, or alteration in, voluntary motor or sensory functioning suggesting a neurological or general medical condition. Psychological factors are judged to be associated with the development of the symptom, and the symptom is not fully explained by a neurological or general medical condition or the direct effects of a substance.
Term
defense mechanism
Definition
Automatic psychological process that protects the individual against anxiety and from awareness of internal or external stressors or dangers. Defense mechanisms mediate the individual's reaction to emotional conflicts and to external stressors.
Term
Delusion
Definition
A false belief based on incorrect inference about external reality that is firmly sustained despite what almost everyone else believes and despite what constitutes incontrovertible and obvious proof or evidence to the contrary. The belief is not one ordinarily accepted by other members of the person's culture or subculture (e.g., it is not an article of religious faith).
Term
Delusion
Definition
Bizarre-A delusion that involves a phenomenon that the person's culture would regard as totally implausible. ( A Delusion is always either bizarre or not bizarre)
delusional jealousy-The delusion that one's sexual partner is unfaithful.
Erotomanic- A delusion that another person, usually of higher status, is in love with the individual.
Grandiose-A delusion of inflated worth, power, knowledge, identity, or special relationship to a deity or famous person.
mood-congruent-See mood-congruent psychotic features.
mood-incongruent-See mood-incongruent psychotic features.
of being controlled- A delusion in which feelings, impulses, thoughts, or actions are experienced as being under the control of some external force rather than being under one's own control.
Term
Delusion
Definition
of reference-A delusion whose theme is that events, objects, or other persons in one's immediate environment have a particular and unusual significance. These delusions are usually of a negative or pejorative nature, but also may be grandiose in content. This differs from an idea of reference, in which the false belief is not as firmly held nor as fully organized into a true belief.
Persecutory-A delusion in which the central theme is that one (or someone to whom one is close) is being attacked, harassed, cheated, persecuted, or conspired against.
Somatic- A delusion whose main content pertains to the appearance or functioning of one's body.
thought broadcasting-The delusion that one's thoughts are being broadcast out loud so that they can be perceived by others.
thought insertion-The delusion that certain of one's thoughts are not one's own, but rather are inserted into one's mind. (be careful to distinguish between thought insertion and of being controlled)
Term
Depersonalization
Definition
An alteration in the perception or experience of the self so that one feels detached from, and as if one is an outside observer of, one's mental processes or body (e.g., feeling like one is in a dream).
Term
Derailment
Definition
-("loosening of associations") A pattern of speech in which a person's ideas slip off one track onto another that is completely unrelated or only obliquely related. In moving from one sentence or clause to another, the person shifts the topic idiosyncratically from one frame of reference to another and things may be said in juxtaposition that lack a meaningful relationship. This disturbance occurs between clauses, in contrast to incoherence, in which the disturbance is within clauses. An occasional change of topic without warning or obvious connection does not constitute derailment.
Term
Derealization
Definition
An alteration in the perception or experience of the external world so that it seems strange or unreal (e.g., people may seem unfamiliar or mechanical).
Term
Dissociation
Definition
A disruption in the usually integrated functions of consciousness, memory, identity, or perception of the environment. The disturbance may be sudden or gradual, transient or chronic.
Term
Dysarthria
Definition
Imperfect articulation of speech due to disturbances of muscular control. ( I think there is more info in the notes from lecture in the slides)
Term
Dyskinesia
Definition
Distortion of voluntary movements with involuntary muscular activity.
Term
Dyssomnia
Definition
Primary disorders of sleep or wakefulness characterized by insomnia or hypersomnia as the major presenting symptom. Dyssomnias are disorders of the amount, quality, or timing of sleep.
Term
Dystonia
Definition
Disordered tonicity of muscles
Term
flight of ideas
Definition
-A nearly continuous flow of accelerated speech with abrupt changes from topic to topic that are usually based on understandable associations, distracting stimuli, or plays on words. When severe, speech may be disorganized and incoherent.
Term
gender dysphoria
Definition
A persistent aversion toward some or all of those physical characteristics or social roles that connote one's own biological sex.
Term
Hallucination
Definition
A sensory perception that has the compelling sense of reality of a true perception but that occurs without external stimulation of the relevant sensory organ. Hallucinations should be distinguished from illusions, in which an actual external stimulus is misperceived or misinterpreted.
Term
Hallucination
Definition
Auditory- A hallucination involving the perception of sound, most commonly of voices. Some clinicians and investigators would not include those experiences perceived as coming from inside the head and would instead limit the concept of true auditory hallucinations to those sounds whose source is perceived as being external. However, as used in DSM-IV, no distinction is made as to whether the source of the voices is perceived as being inside or outside of the head.
Gustatory-A hallucination involving the perception of taste (usually unpleasant).
mood-congruent-See mood-congruent psychotic features.
mood-incongruent-See mood-incongruent psychotic features.
Olfactory-A hallucination involving the perception of odor, such as of burning rubber or decaying fish.
Somatic-A hallucination involving the perception of a physical experience localized within the body (such as a feeling of electricity). A somatic hallucination is to be distinguished from physical sensations arising from an as-yet undiagnosed general medical condition, from hypochondriacal preoccupation with normal physical sensations, and from a tactile hallucination.
Term
Hallucination
Definition
Tactile-A hallucination involving the perception of being touched or of something being under one's skin. The most common tactile hallucinations are the sensation of electric shocks and formication (the sensation of something creeping or crawling on or under the skin).
Visual- A hallucination involving sight, which may consist of formed images, such as of people, or of unformed images, such as flashes of light. Visual hallucinations should be distinguished from illusions, which are misperceptions of real external stimuli.
Term
Hyperacusis
Definition
Painful sensitivity to sounds
Term
ideas of reference
Definition
The feeling that casual incidents and external events have a particular and unusual meaning that is specific to the person. This is to be distinguished from a delusion of reference, in which there is a belief that is held with delusional conviction.
Term
Illusion
Definition
A misperception or misinterpretation of a real external stimulus, such as hearing the rustling of leaves as the sound of voices
Term
Incoherence
Definition
Speech or thinking that is essentially incomprehensible to others because words or phrases are joined together without a logical or meaningful connection. This disturbance occurs within clauses.
Term
Insomnia
Definition
A subjective complaint of difficulty falling or staying asleep or poor sleep quality. Types of insomnia include
initial insomnia-Difficulty in falling asleep.
middle insomnia-Awakening in the middle of the night followed by eventually falling back to sleep, but with difficulty.
terminal insomnia-Awakening before one's usual waking time and being unable to return to sleep.
Term
intersex condition
Definition
A condition in which an individual shows intermingling, in various degrees, of the characteristics of each sex, including physical form, reproductive organs, and sexual behavior.
Term
Macropsia
Definition
The visual perception that objects are larger than they actually are.
Term
magical thinking
Definition
The erroneous belief that one's thoughts, words, or actions will cause or prevent a specific outcome in some way that defies commonly understood laws of cause and effect. Magical thinking may be a part of normal child development.
Term
Micropsia
Definition
The visual perception that objects are smaller than they actually are.
Term
Mood
Definition
A pervasive and sustained emotion that colors the perception of the world.
mood refers to a more pervasive and sustained emotional "climate."
Term
Mood
Definition
Dysphoric-An unpleasant mood, such as sadness, anxiety, or irritability.
Elevated-An exaggerated feeling of well-being, or euphoria or elation. A person with elevated mood may describe feeling "high,""ecstatic,""on top of the world," or "up in the clouds."
Euthymic-Mood in the "normal" range, which implies the absence of depressed or elevated mood.
Expansive-Lack of restraint in expressing one's feelings, frequently with an overvaluation of one's significance or importance.
Irritable-Easily annoyed and provoked to anger.
Term
mood-congruent psychotic features
Definition
Delusions or hallucinations whose content is entirely consistent with the typical themes of a depressed or manic mood. If the mood is depressed, the content of the delusions or hallucinations would involve themes of personal inadequacy, guilt, disease, death, nihilism, or deserved punishment. The content of the delusion may include themes of persecution if these are based on self-derogatory concepts such as deserved punishment. If the mood is manic, the content of the delusions or hallucinations would involve themes of inflated worth, power, knowledge, or identity, or a special relationship to a deity or a famous person. The content of the delusion may include themes of persecution if these are based on concepts such as inflated worth or deserved punishment.
Term
mood-incongruent psychotic features
Definition
Delusions or hallucinations whose content is not consistent with the typical themes of a depressed or manic mood. In the case of depression, the delusions or hallucinations would not involve themes of personal inadequacy, guilt, disease, death, nihilism, or deserved punishment. In the case of mania, the delusions or hallucinations would not involve themes of inflated worth, power, knowledge, or identity, or a special relationship to a deity or a famous person. Examples of mood-incongruent psychotic features include persecutory delusions (without self-derogatory or grandiose content), thought insertion, thought broadcasting, and delusions of being controlled whose content has no apparent relationship to any of the themes listed above.
Term
nystagmus
Definition
Involuntary rhythmic movements of the eyes that consist of small-amplitude rapid tremors in one direction and a larger, slower, recurrent sweep in the opposite direction. Nystagmus may be horizontal, vertical, or rotary.
Term
overvalued idea
Definition
An unreasonable and sustained belief that is maintained with less than delusional intensity (i.e., the person is able to acknowledge the possibility that the belief may not be true). The belief is not one that is ordinarily accepted by other members of the person's culture or subculture.
Term
panic attacks
Definition
Discrete periods of sudden onset of intense apprehension, fearfulness, or terror, often associated with feelings of impending doom. During these attacks there are symptoms such as shortness of breath or smothering sensations; palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate; chest pain or discomfort; choking; and fear of going crazy or losing control. Panic attacks may be unexpected(uncued), in which the onset of the attack is not associated with a situational trigger and instead occurs "out of the blue"; situationally bound, in which the panic attack almost invariably occurs immediately on exposure to, or in anticipation of, a situational trigger ("cue"); and situationally predisposed, in which the panic attack is more likely to occur on exposure to a situational trigger but is not invariably associated with it.
Term
paranoid ideation
Definition
Ideation, of less than delusional proportions, involving suspiciousness or the belief that one is being harassed, persecuted, or unfairly treated.
Term
personality
Definition
Enduring patterns of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and oneself.Personality traits are prominent aspects of personality that are exhibited in a wide range of important social and personal contexts. Only when personality traits are inflexible and maladaptive and cause either significant functional impairment or subjective distress do they constitute a Personality Disorder.
Term
phobia
Definition
A persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation (the phobic stimulus) that results in a compelling desire to avoid it. This often leads either to avoidance of the phobic stimulus or to enduring it with dread.
Term
pressured speech
Definition
Speech that is increased in amount, accelerated, and difficult or impossible to interrupt. Usually it is also loud and emphatic. Frequently the person talks without any social stimulation and may continue to talk even though no one is listening.
Term
prodrome
Definition
An early or premonitory sign or symptom of a disorder.
Term
psychomotor retardation
Definition
Visible generalized slowing of movements and speech.
Term
psychotic
Definition
The narrowest definition of psychotic is restricted to delusions or prominent hallucinations, with the hallucinations occurring in the absence of insight into their pathological nature. A slightly less restrictive definition would also include prominent hallucinations that the individual realizes are hallucinatory experiences. Broader still is a definition that also includes other positive symptoms of Schizophrenia (i.e., disorganized speech, grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior).
Term
residual phase
Definition
The phase of an illness that occurs after remission of the florid symptoms or the full syndrome.
Term
stereotyped movements
Definition
Repetitive, seemingly driven, and nonfunctional motor behavior (e.g., hand shaking or waving, body rocking, head banging, mouthing of objects, self-biting, picking at skin or body orifices, hitting one's own body).
Term
stupor
Definition
A state of unresponsiveness with immobility and mutism.
Term
synesthesia
Definition
A condition in which a sensory experience associated with one modality occurs when another modality is stimulated, for example, a sound produces the sensation of a particular color.
Term
tic
Definition
An involuntary, sudden, rapid, recurrent, nonrhythmic, stereotyped motor movement or vocalization.
Term
transsexualism
Definition
Severe gender dysphoria, coupled with a persistent desire for the physical characteristics and social roles that connote the opposite biological sex.
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