common psych problems Flashcards

1
Q

psychosis

A

A state in which a person’s mental capacity to recognize reality; communicate; and relate to others is impaired

Person moves in and out of reality

Reality for the person is the world as that person perceives it- not necessarily as it exists
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2
Q

most common psychosis diagnosis

A

schizophrenia

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3
Q

two types of psychosis

A

functional and organic

Current research emphasizes both biological and psychosocial factors

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4
Q

functional psychosis

A

results from interpersonal conflict, stress->psychogenic origin

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5
Q

organic psychosis

A

results from physiological damage/dysfunction

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6
Q

psychotic behavior

A

Person attempts to adapt, attempts to explain experiences and/or attempts to structure a “crazy” world
Ex. Schizophrenic person may cut himself for reassurance that he is “real” because he bleeds and feels pain

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7
Q

cognitive factors of psychopathology

A

what a person knows/believes about self, others, principles, places, objects, actions, etc.

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8
Q

Cognitive disruptions of psychopathology

A

Thinking Distortions
Communicating Distortions
Delusions
Hallucinations

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9
Q

Thinking distortions of psychopathology

A

Selective Abstraction

Overgeneralization

Magnification

Superstitious thinking

Dichotomous thinking

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10
Q

selective abstraction

A

“I’m still too fat – look how big my hands and feet are.”

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11
Q

overgeneralization

A

“You don’t see fat people on TV. So you have to be thin to be successful at anything in life.”

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12
Q

magnification

A

“If I gain 2 pounds, I know everyone will notice it.”

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13
Q

superstitious thinking

A

“If I wear all black I’ll lose weight”

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14
Q

dichotomous thinking

A

“If I’m not thin I’m fat” (black and white thinking)

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15
Q

communications distortions

A

loose associations
flight of ideas
word salad

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16
Q

loose associations

A

“Don’t you think my stomach is getting bigger? Fall is when lots of food is harvested like corn and pumpkins.”

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17
Q

flight of ideas

A

“The weather looks like it’s changing. These pants make me look thin Lunch was really bad. I don’t think I should be taking all those pills.”

(speech is rapid and there is a continuous flow of words)

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18
Q

word salad

A

“animals, cars, bedtime, dark, prayers closets…”

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19
Q

Delusions

A

Fixed, firm beliefs contrary to reality

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20
Q

examples of delusions

A
grandiosity
persecution
control
religious
sin/guilt
somatic
ideas of reference
thought broadcasting
thought withdrawal 
thought insertion
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21
Q

grandiosity

A

I’ve been a member of the President’s Cabinet since the Reagan years. No president can do without my advice.”

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22
Q

persecution

A

See those people in the hall? They’re not really visitors, they’re from the CIA. They’re here to spy on me.”

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23
Q

control

A

“I have a wire in my head. My family had it implanted so they can control me. They control everything I say. I can’t do anything on my own.”

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24
Q

religious

A

“I can’t stop to talk with you I have to keep reading this Bible out loud so God will hear me and make sure nobody can hurt me.”

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25
sin/guilt
“I am being punished now because when I was growing up I was a bad kid. That’s why I when I get a job and start doing good I have to quit to make up for my bad behavior. I shouldn’t be happy, not after as bad as I was”
26
somatic
“My esophagus is being torn apart because there’s a rat in my stomach and sometimes he comes up to my throat. He eats away at my esophagus. Look in my throat you can probably see him.”
27
ideas of reference
That doctor and nurse at the desk are talking about me. You say they aren’t but I know they are. You people talk about me all the time.”
28
thought broadcasting
“I’m afraid to think anything because I know you can read my mind and know exactly what I’m thinking.”
29
thought withdrawal
“I can’t tell you what I’m thinking. Somebody just stole my thoughts.”
30
thought insertion
“You think what I’m telling you is what I’m thinking but it isn’t. My father keeps putting all these thoughts in my head. There’s no room for my thoughts. These aren’t mine.”
31
Hallucinations
Perceptual experiences occurring in the absence of any appropriate sensory stimuli Do not confuse with illusions which result from misinterpretation of sensory experience-magicians Most frequent types of hallucination = visual and auditory- but can arise from any of five senses Often hallucinations have religious content Assessed at different levels of intensity
32
hallucinations levels of intensity
comforting condemning controlling conquering
33
comforting hallucinations characteristics
Pt has intense emotions like anxiety, loneliness, guilt, fear-tries to focus on comforting thoughts to  anxiety; knows thoughts & sensory experiences are controllable if anxiety is managed
34
comforting hallucinations behaviors
Grinning, laughter that seems inappropriate; moving lips without making sound; rapid eye movement; slowed verbal responses as if preoccupied
35
condemning hallucinations characteristics
Sensory experience repulsive & frightening; pt begins to feel loss of control; may attempt to distance self from perceived source; may feel embarrassed by experience and withdraw from others
36
condemning hallucinations behaviors
 autonomic nervous system signs of anxiety; attention span narrows; preoccupation with sensory experience; loss of ability to differentiate hallucination from reality
37
comforting hallucinations
Moderate level of anxiety | Hallucination generally pleasant in nature
38
condemning hallucinations
Severe level of anxiety | Hallucination generally repulsive
39
controlling hallucinations
Severe level of anxiety | Hallucination becomes omnipotent
40
hallucinations can be
auditory visual (are most frequent) but they can be tactile
41
controlling hallucination characteristics
Pt gives up trying to combat experience & gives in to it; content of hallucination may become appealing; pt may experience sadness/loneliness if hallucination ends
42
controlling hallucination behaviors
Directions given by hallucinations will be followed rather than objected to; difficulty relating to others; attention down to only a few minutes at best, may be only seconds; unable to follow directions; sx of intense fight or flight response
43
conquering
Panic level of anxiety | Hallucination becomes elaborate & interwoven with delusions
44
conquering hallucination characteristics
Sensory experiences may become threatening if pt doesn’t follow commands; without therapeutic intervention hallucinations may last for hours or days
45
hallucinations, what to ask patient
``` are you hearing/seeing something. i can't hear it, what do you hear what are you hearing, what do you see describe what are you are seeing/hearing are they soft, or loud ```
46
conquering hallucination behaviors
Terror-stricken behavior such as panic; strong potential for suicide/homicide; physical activity reflects content of hallucination i.e. violence, agitation, withdrawal, catatonia; unable to respond to most directions; unable to respond to more than one person
47
schizophrenia
18-22 is normally when a schizophrenics first psychotic break happens they start hearing voices in their teens maybe even earlier
48
affect
How a person feels - Mood Assessment data/conclusions about patient’s affect come, in part, from cognitive and behavioral assessment
49
descriptors of affects
``` Appropriate Inappropriate Stable Labile Elevated Depressed Overreactive Blunted Flat ```
50
appropriate affect characteristics
Mood in agreement with immediate situation
51
inappropriate affect characteristics
Mood not related to immediate situation
52
stable affect characteristics
Mood resistant to sudden change when there is no provocation in milieu
53
Labile affect characteristics
Mood shifts suddenly in a way that cannot be understood in the context of the situation
54
Elevated affect characteristics
Mood is euphoric not necessarily related to immediate situation
55
depressed affect characteristics
Mood is despondent no necessarily related to immediate situation
56
overreactive affect characteristics
Mood is appropriate to the situation but out of proportion
57
blunted affect characteristics
Mood is dulled response to the immediate situation
58
flat affect characteristics
No visible clues to the person’s mood
59
Behavior
How a person acts, what a person does Freud: all behavior has meaning Behavioral assessment may give valuable information about cognitive clarity and/or affect Examples of Behavioral Assessment Factors Insomnia/hypersomnia – marked sleep disturbances Inappropriate social contacts – behaviors may range from hyperactivity, excessive talking, (laughing, joking) -> complete withdrawal from voluntary contacts Marked impairment in personal hygiene – noticeable change Impaired role functioning – noticeable difference in performance of role (s) i.e. spouse, employee
60
Congruency/Consonance
Cognitive, affective and behavioral aspects all operating together = congruency/consonance Beliefs, feelings and behavior toward a given ”thing” are all positive/negative If one aspect is out of “sync” the person will attempt to change that aspect to achieve congruency Ex.: A paranoid person believes (delusionally) that all store clerks want to destroy him. He feels afraid and may act out against a store clerk (behavior) to make all aspects congruent.