Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: Pharmacology, Culture, Legal & Ethical Considerations

Vocabulary practice flashcards generated from the psychiatric-mental health nursing lecture covering psychotropic drugs, cultural concepts, and legal-ethical frameworks.

Pharmacodynamics

The study of what drugs do to the body and how they do it (derived from Greek roots for drug and power).

Pharmacokinetics

The movement of a drug through the body, encompassing absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (derived from Greek roots for drug and movement).

Pharmacogenetics

The study of the effects of genetic variation on individual drug responses.

Agonists

Drugs that mimic the effects of neurotransmitters naturally found in the brain by binding to and stimulating their receptors.

Antagonists

Drugs that block neurotransmitters from binding to their receptors, thereby obstructing the neurotransmitter's normal action.

Z-hypnotics

Short-acting sedative-hypnotic sleep agents (such as zolpidem, zaleplon, and eszopiclone) that can cause side effects like amnesia.

Monoamine Hypothesis of Depression

A hypothesis proposing that depression is caused by a deficiency in one or more monoamine neurotransmitters in the brain.

Serotonin

A primary neurotransmitter that serves as the main regulator of mood, sleep, and appetite.

Norepinephrine

A neurotransmitter responsible for regulating alertness, energy, and the fight-or-flight response.

Dopamine

A neurotransmitter regulating feelings of pleasure, reward, and motivation.

Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs)

Antidepressant medications (such as phenelzine and tranylcypromine) that require strict dietary restrictions to avoid tyramine-containing foods like aged cheeses and fermented products.

Anhedonia

A negative symptom defined as losing interest or pleasure in activities that an individual previously enjoyed.

Second-Generation (Atypical) Antipsychotic Drugs

Antipsychotics that act predominantly as D2 and 5-HT2A antagonists, target both positive and negative symptoms, and produce fewer extrapyramidal side effects.

Agranulocytosis

A severe blood disorder associated with certain atypical antipsychotics (such as clozapine) marked by symptoms like sore throat, strep throat, and high fever.

Cholinesterase Inhibitors

Medications (such as donepezil, galantamine, and rivastigmine) used in Alzheimer's disease to slow the destruction of acetylcholine.

Acculturation

The process of giving up cultural practices or values as a result of contact with another cultural group.

Assimilation

The process of fully incorporating and adopting the practices and values of the majority culture.

Ethnocentrism

An individual's belief that their own cultural values and practices are correct and superior to those of others.

Enculturation

The process by which individuals learn and internalize the beliefs and values of their own surrounding culture.

Bioethics

The application of ethical principles to healthcare dilemmas and concepts within medicine, nursing, and allied health fields.

Utilitarianism

An ethical theory that promotes actions based on producing the end result that yields the greatest good or happiness for the most people.

Kantianism

An ethical theory asserting that actions and decisions are bound by a sense of duty and moral principle, directly opposing utilitarianism.

Autonomy

The bioethical principle emphasizing the status of individuals as autonomous moral agents with the right to self-determination.

Beneficence

The ethical duty to act in a way that benefits or promotes the good and well-being of others.

Nonmaleficence

The ethical requirement to abstain from negative actions toward others and act carefully to avoid causing harm.

Justice

The bioethical principle reflecting a duty to treat all individuals fairly and equally.

Veracity

The ethical principle referring to one's professional duty to always be truthful.

Fidelity

The ethical principle of maintaining loyalty, commitment, and doing no wrong to a patient.

Tort

A civil wrong, either intentional or accidental, that results in injury or harm to another person.

Assault

An intentional tort involving verbal or body language threats that create apprehension of immediate harm.

Battery

An intentional tort involving harmful or offensive physical touching of another person without consent.

Negligence

An unintentional tort defined as doing something a reasonable nurse would not do, or failing to do something a reasonable nurse would do under similar circumstances.

Malpractice

Professional negligence where a failure to meet the accepted standard of care directly causes injury and actual damages to a patient.

Writ of Habeas Corpus

A legal procedure used by involuntarily committed patients to challenge unlawful detention and demonstrate they are held without just cause.

Least Restrictive Alternative Doctrine

The principle requiring healthcare providers to use the least drastic or restrictive actions possible to achieve client care goals.