Psychiatric Nursing and Mental Health Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards generated directly from the psychiatric nursing lecture transcripts, covering schizophrenia, eating disorders, substance abuse, mood disorders, childhood disorders, and personality disorders.

Akathisia

A side effect of antipsychotic medications characterized by restless, non-purposeful movements such as constant pacing, standing around, or body twisting.

Tardive Dyskinesia

A neurological side effect caused by long-term antipsychotic drug use, characterized by involuntary motor movements such as tongue smacking, tongue protrusion, neck drawing, facial grimacing, or unpurposeful hip thrusting.

Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome

A potentially fatal complication of antipsychotic therapy characterized by high fever, severe hypertension, sore throat, extreme muscular rigidity, and rapid blood cell destruction (agranulocytosis).

10-2-1 Combination

An emergency room medication administration combination consisting of $10\,mg$ Haldol, $2\,mg$ Cogentin (benztropine), and $1\,mg$ Ativan used to rapidly control violent or agitated psychotic behavior.

Thorazine (Chlorpromazine)

A classic first-generation antipsychotic medication that works by lowering brain dopamine levels, which also possesses an off-label therapeutic use for treating intractable hiccups lasting several days.

Cachexic

A clinical term describing an extremely malnourished, emaciated physical appearance resulting from conditions such as severe anorexia, cancer, radiation, or chemotherapy.

Anorexia

An eating disorder characterized by altered body perception, self-starvation, severe weight loss (often falling $15\%$ to $20\%$ below normal body weight), and compulsive daily exercise.

Bulimia

An eating disorder characterized by recurrent binge eating episodes followed by short-lived calm, guilt, and compensatory purging (such as self-induced vomiting or enemas), leading to tooth enamel erosion and severe electrolyte imbalances.

Baker Act

A statutory provision allowing individuals who pose an imminent danger to themselves or others to be held involuntarily in a psychiatric facility for up to $72\,hours$ pending a probate court hearing.

GHB (Gamma-hydroxybutyrate)

A central nervous system depressant used as a date rape drug that is colorless, odorless, and tasteless; ingesting as little as $15\,cc$ causes disorientation, amnesia, loss of coordination, seizures, coma, and potential death.

Formication

A tactile hallucination experienced by severe alcoholics during withdrawal, described as the sensation of bugs crawling all over the skin, indicating high risk for impending seizures or delirium tremens.

Librium (Chlordiazepoxide)

The benzodiazepine medication of choice used to prevent delirium tremens and safely manage alcohol withdrawal via a multi-day tapering dosage schedule.

CAGE Assessment

A four-question screening tool utilized by clinicians to evaluate the presence and severity of a patient's alcohol abuse and reliance.

Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome

A chronic, severe brain disorder caused by long-term heavy alcohol abuse and thiamine deficiency, leading to irreversible psychosis, confusion, and cognitive decline.

Antabuse (Disulfiram)

A deterrent medication administered to sober alcoholics that triggers extreme physiological illness, seizures, or severe vomiting if any alcohol is ingested.

Neurolinguistics (Eye Movement)

The clinical observation of eye direction during patient assessment, where looking down and to the right signifies remorse, whereas looking up and to the right indicates deception or fabrication.

Coprolalia

The uncontrollable, obsessive, or impulsive utterance of obscene, profane, or socially unacceptable language.

Conversion Disorder

A somatic symptom disorder wherein psychological conflict manifests as functional neurological deficits (such as sudden blindness, deafness, or paralysis) without any identifiable organic pathology.

Labile Indifference

A characteristic lack of emotional concern or anxiety displayed by a patient toward their own severe, sudden physical disability (such as sudden paralysis or blindness).

Schizoaffective Disorder

A mental health condition characterized by a combination of core schizophrenic symptoms (hallucinations, delusions) alongside major mood swings, managed clinically with drugs like Depakote and antipsychotics.

Anhedonia

A negative symptom of schizophrenia and major depression characterized by the total inability to experience pleasure or interest in previously enjoyed activities.

Neologisms

A positive symptom of schizophrenia in which a patient invents bizarre, entirely new words or expressions that have no standard linguistic meaning.

Clang Association

A speech pattern observed in manic or schizophrenic patients in which words are chosen based on rhyming sounds or alliteration rather than logical context.

Catatonia

A state of neurogenic motor immobility and behavioral unresponsiveness in schizophrenia, frequently presenting with waxy flexibility where a patient maintains arbitrary body postures placed by others.

Agranulocytosis

A dangerous blood dyscrasia caused by toxic drug reactions (such as Clozaril or Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome) involving a severe drop in white blood cell count, leaving the body unable to fight infection.

Priapism

A adverse side effect associated with certain psychiatric medications like Desyrel (trazodone), involving a persistent, painful erection lasting longer than $4\,hours$ that requires immediate emergency intervention.

Fugue State

A dissociative disorder involving sudden, unexpected travel away from home or customary surroundings, accompanied by an inability to recall one's identity or past life details.

Echolalia

An abnormal speech pattern involving the repetitive, parrot-like echoing or imitation of words or phrases spoken by another person, commonly seen in autism, schizophrenia, or deceptive responses.

Savant Syndrome

A condition in which an individual with developmental disorders (such as autism spectrum disorder) demonstrates extraordinary, isolated intellectual or artistic skills, such as mathematical calculation or musical performance.

Lithium

The primary mood stabilizer used for manic episodes in bipolar disorder, requiring baseline EKG and thyroid panels, with a narrow therapeutic serum concentration range of $1.0\,to\,1.3\,mEq/L$.

Cyclothymic Disorder

A chronic mood disorder characterized by recurring periods of mild depressive symptoms and hypomania that do not meet the criteria for major depressive or full manic episodes.

Milieu Therapy

The intentional manipulation and structuring of a psychiatric unit's physical environment (e.g., dimming lights, eliminating noise, establishing fixed routines) to promote psychological safety and behavioral control.

Flumazenil

The specific pharmacological antagonist and antidote used to reverse central nervous system depression caused by benzodiazepines.

Nystagmus

An involuntary, rapid, jerking movement of the eyes observed during a neurological examination when an intoxicated patient attempts to track a moving object while keeping their head stationary.

Splitting

A primitive ego defense mechanism common in borderline personality disorder where individuals categorize staff, caregivers, or friends into absolute extremes of all-good or all-bad to manipulate relationships.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy

An evidence-based psychotherapeutic technique utilizing mindfulness, emotional regulation, and meditation to reduce self-harm and impulsive behaviors in patients with personality disorders.

PCP (Phencyclidine)

A potent hallucinogenic drug of abuse that produces disinhibition, disorientation, extreme physical strength, and insensitivity to pain or chemical restraints like pepper spray.

Oppositional Defiant Disorder

A childhood behavioral disorder characterized by a recurrent pattern of angry, irritable, argumentative, and defiant behavior toward authority figures without physical violation of basic societal rights.

Conduct Disorder

A severe childhood and adolescent behavioral disorder involving persistent violation of societal norms and others' rights through physical aggression, animal cruelty, fire-setting, or weapon use, frequently progressing to adult antisocial personality disorder.

Sadism

A paraphilia and personality pattern wherein an individual experiences arousal, gratification, or dominance from inflicting physical pain, emotional cruelty, or humiliation on others.

Masochism

A paraphilia characterized by deriving psychological or sexual gratification from being abused, humiliated, bound, beaten, or physically hurt.

Dark Triad

A psychological constellation of three malignant personality traits—Machiavellianism, psychopathy/antisocial behavior, and narcissism—marked by interpersonal deceit, lack of empathy, self-centeredness, and strategic exploitation.