DSM Study Guide

5 symptoms of psychosis Delusions; hallucinations; disorganized behavior; disorganized thought or speech; negative symptoms

SIGECAPS (Major Depressive Episode) Sleep disturbance, loss of Interest, feelings of Guilt or worthlessness, low Energy, poor Concentration, Appetite changes, Psychomotor changes, Suicidality (plus depressed mood)

Affect Observable expression of a subjectively experienced emotional state

Blunted affect Significant reduction in intensity of emotional expression

Flat affect Near absence of emotional expression

Inappropriate affect Emotional expression inconsistent with speech or thought content

Labile affect Rapid and abrupt shifts in emotional expression

Restricted (constricted) affect Mild reduction in range and intensity of emotional expression

Anhedonia Lack of pleasure or interest in normally enjoyable activities

Avolition Inability to initiate and sustain goal-directed behavior

Compulsions Repetitive behaviors or mental acts performed in response to obsessions or rigid rules

Conversion symptom Loss or alteration of voluntary motor or sensory function not explained medically and not intentional

Mood Pervasive and sustained emotional state that colors perception of the world

Dysphoric mood Unpleasant mood such as sadness, anxiety, or irritability

Elevated mood Exaggerated sense of well-being, euphoria, or elation

Description of elevated mood Feeling high, ecstatic, on top of the world, or in the clouds

Euthymic mood Normal mood range without depression or elevation

Expansive mood Unrestrained emotional expression with inflated self-importance

Irritable mood Easily annoyed and provoked to anger

Disorientation Confusion about time, place, or person

Hallucination Perception-like experience without external sensory stimulus

Types of hallucinations Auditory (voices or sounds) and visual (formed or unformed images)

Flight of ideas Rapid, pressured speech with abrupt topic changes based on associations

Pressured speech Accelerated and excessive speech that is difficult or impossible to interrupt

Delusion Fixed false belief held despite clear contradictory evidence

Bizarre delusion Delusion involving something physically impossible

Delusional jealousy Belief that one’s partner is unfaithful

Erotomanic delusion Belief that another person of higher status is in love with the individual

Grandiose delusion Belief of inflated worth, power, identity, or special relationship

Delusion of reference Belief that external events have special personal significance

Persecutory delusion Belief that one is being harmed, harassed, or conspired against

Thought broadcasting Belief that one’s thoughts are being broadcast to others

Thought insertion Belief that thoughts are placed into one’s mind by an external force

Illusion Misperception of a real external stimulus

Magical thinking Belief that thoughts or actions cause outcomes that defy cause-and-effect laws

Obsession Intrusive, unwanted thoughts, urges, or images causing anxiety or distress

Psychomotor agitation Excessive, nonproductive motor activity driven by inner tension

Psychomotor retardation Visible slowing of movement and speech

Prodrome Early warning sign or symptom of a disorder

Depersonalization Feeling detached from one’s self, body, or mental processes

Derealization Feeling detached from surroundings, which seem unreal or dreamlike

Dissociation Splitting off mental contents from conscious awareness

Flashback Dissociative reexperiencing of a traumatic event as if occurring now

Hypervigilance Increased sensory sensitivity and exaggerated threat detection

Startle response Reflexive reaction to sudden unexpected stimuli

Parasomnias Sleep disorders involving abnormal behaviors during sleep

Mood-congruent psychotic features Psychotic content consistent with depressed or manic mood themes

Mood-incongruent psychotic features Psychotic content not consistent with mood themes

Rapid cycling Bipolar disorder with four or more mood episodes in 12 months

Circumstantiality Overly detailed speech that eventually reaches the point

Loose associations Minimal logical connection between thoughts

Tangential speech Off-topic speech that never returns to the original point

Perseveration Involuntary repetition of words, ideas, or movements

TIPPM + ASC + PS Thoughts, Intent, Previous attempts, Plans, Means; Agitation, Self-control; Protective factors and Safety planning

IS PATH WARM Ideation, Substance use, Purposelessness, Anxiety, Trapped, Hopelessness, Withdrawal, Anger, Recklessness, Mood change

PALS Proximity of help, Availability of method, Lethality of method, Specificity of plan