Mental Health 1025 – Final Exam Vocabulary

94 vocabulary flashcards covering therapeutic communication, cultural competence, spirituality, mental health principles, major psychiatric disorders, pharmacology, abuse, and personality disorders for Mental Health 1025 final exam preparation.

Professional Communication

Purposeful, goal-directed interaction between nurse and patient guided by ethical and professional standards.

Elements of Professional Communication

Empathy, respect, genuineness, concreteness, and confrontation (as appropriate).

Effective Verbal Communication

Clear wording, appropriate vocabulary, congruent tone, and concise, purposeful messages.

Effective Nonverbal Communication

Congruent facial expression, open posture, eye contact, and culturally appropriate personal space.

Phases of the Therapeutic Relationship

Pre-interaction, orientation, working, and termination phases (Wilkinson p. 462).

Therapeutic Technique – Silence

Purposeful absence of verbal communication that encourages patient reflection.

Therapeutic Technique – Accepting

Conveys reception and regard (e.g., “Yes,” “I follow what you said”).

Therapeutic Technique – Giving Recognition

Acknowledges patient’s accomplishments or efforts without approving or disapproving.

Therapeutic Technique – Offering Self

Nurse makes self available to patient (e.g., “I’ll sit with you awhile”).

Therapeutic Technique – Broad Openings

Allows patient to choose topic (e.g., “Where would you like to start?”).

Therapeutic Technique – Restating

Repeating the patient’s own words to confirm understanding.

Therapeutic Technique – Reflecting

Directs feelings, questions, and ideas back to patient for self-exploration.

Therapeutic Technique – Focusing

Concentrating on a single point to deepen discussion.

Therapeutic Technique – Exploring

Delving further into a subject or idea (e.g., “Tell me more about…”).

Therapeutic Technique – Seeking Clarification

Asking for explanation to increase understanding (e.g., “I’m not sure I follow you”).

Therapeutic Technique – Presenting Reality

Clarifies misconceptions (e.g., “I don’t see anyone else in the room”).

Therapeutic Technique – Voicing Doubt

Expresses uncertainty about patient’s perceptions when appropriate.

Therapeutic Technique – Summarizing

Reviews main points to ensure understanding and closure.

Nontherapeutic – Advising

Telling patient what to do; limits autonomy and problem-solving.

Nontherapeutic – Agreeing/Giving Approval

Indicates rightness, discouraging patient from further expression.

Nontherapeutic – Belittling Feelings

Minimizes patient’s emotions, leading to resentment or withdrawal.

Nontherapeutic – Challenging

Demanding proof; can increase defensiveness.

Nontherapeutic – Defending

Protecting person or institution; blocks open communication.

Nontherapeutic – Probing

Persistent questioning beyond patient’s comfort level.

Joyce Giger’s Six Cultural Assessment Factors

Communication, time, space, social organization, environmental control, biological variation.

Neutral Cultural Practice

Custom that is neither helpful nor harmful to health (e.g., wearing specific colors).

Efficacious Cultural Practice

Culturally valued action that is beneficial to health (e.g., certain dietary habits).

Harmful Cultural Practice

Tradition that negatively impacts health (e.g., unsafe herbal remedies).

Culturally Competent Care

Care that respects and integrates the patient’s cultural beliefs and preferences.

Spirituality

Personal search for meaning, purpose, and connection with the sacred or transcendent.

Spiritual Distress

Impaired ability to experience or integrate meaning and purpose in life.

Resilience (Spiritual)

Ability to cope and adapt through spiritual beliefs and practices.

Mental Status Examination (MSE)

Objective assessment of patient’s cognitive and emotional functioning at a point in time.

Psychosocial Assessment

Comprehensive evaluation of psychological, social, and developmental factors affecting health.

Least Restrictive Environment

Provision of treatment in the setting that imposes the fewest constraints on patient freedom.

Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs)

Antidepressants that block MAO enzyme; require tyramine-restricted diet to avoid hypertensive crisis.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)

First-line antidepressants that increase serotonin availability in synapses.

Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs)

Older antidepressants that inhibit reuptake of norepinephrine and serotonin; anticholinergic side effects common.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

Controlled seizure therapy for severe depression, mania, or psychosis unresponsive to medication.

Suicidal Ideation

Thoughts of self-harm or death; requires direct assessment and safety planning.

Mania

Elevated, expansive, or irritable mood with increased energy and activity lasting ≥1 week.

Hypomania

Less severe manic episode lasting ≥4 days without marked impairment.

Cyclothymia

Chronic fluctuating mood with numerous periods of hypomanic and mild depressive symptoms for ≥2 years.

Bipolar I Disorder

At least one manic episode, often alternating with major depression.

Bipolar II Disorder

At least one hypomanic episode and one major depressive episode; no full mania.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Psychotherapy that identifies and restructures maladaptive thoughts and behaviors.

Levels of Anxiety – Mild

Heightened perception, increased alertness; learning is enhanced.

Levels of Anxiety – Moderate

Narrowed perceptual field; selective attention; learning still possible with assistance.

Levels of Anxiety – Severe

Greatly reduced perception; difficulty concentrating; learning is not possible.

Panic Level Anxiety

Loss of rational thought, possible hallucinations; requires immediate intervention.

Systematic Desensitization

Gradual exposure therapy used to decrease phobic reactions.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Excessive worry occurring more days than not for ≥6 months about multiple events.

Panic Disorder

Recurrent unexpected panic attacks with persistent concern or behavior change.

Separation Anxiety Disorder

Developmentally inappropriate fear of separation from attachment figures.

Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Presence of obsessions and/or compulsions that cause distress and interfere with functioning.

Compulsion

Repetitive behavior or mental act performed to reduce anxiety linked to an obsession.

Acute Stress Disorder

Trauma-related symptoms lasting 3 days to 1 month after event.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Persistent (>1 month) re-experiencing, avoidance, hyperarousal after traumatic event.

Positive Symptoms (Schizophrenia)

Additions to normal behavior: hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech or behavior.

Negative Symptoms (Schizophrenia)

Diminished emotional expression, avolition, alogia, anhedonia, asociality.

Delusion – Persecutory

False belief of being harmed, cheated, or spied on.

Delusion – Grandiose

False belief of inflated worth, power, knowledge, or identity.

Delusion – Reference

Belief that external events relate specifically to oneself.

Delusion – Somatic

False belief about body functions or appearance.

Hallucination – Auditory

Hearing voices or sounds without external stimulus.

Hallucination – Visual

Seeing people or objects that are not present.

Hallucination – Tactile

False perception of touch, e.g., insects crawling on skin.

Hallucination – Olfactory

Smelling odors that have no external source.

Typical (First-Generation) Antipsychotics

Dopamine antagonists effective for positive symptoms; higher risk of EPS.

Atypical (Second-Generation) Antipsychotics

Block dopamine and serotonin; treat positive and negative symptoms; lower EPS risk.

Agranulocytosis

Potentially fatal drop in neutrophils; associated with clozapine use.

Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS)

Life-threatening reaction to antipsychotics: fever, muscle rigidity, autonomic instability.

Extrapyramidal Side Effects (EPS)

Drug-induced movement disorders: dystonia, akathisia, parkinsonism, tardive dyskinesia.

Intellectual Disability – Degrees

Mild, moderate, severe, profound based on IQ and adaptive functioning.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity interfering with functioning.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Neurodevelopmental disorder with deficits in social communication and restricted, repetitive behaviors.

Conduct Disorder (CD)

Repetitive behavior violating rights of others: aggression, theft, property destruction.

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)

Angry/irritable mood, argumentative/defiant behavior toward authority, no serious violations.

Anorexia Nervosa

Self-imposed starvation, distorted body image, intense fear of weight gain.

Bulimia Nervosa

Recurrent binge eating with compensatory behaviors (vomiting, laxatives, exercise).

Substance Use Disorder (SUD)

Maladaptive pattern of substance use causing impairment or distress.

Alcohol Withdrawal – Stage 1

Tremors, anxiety, sweating, insomnia (6–12 h after last drink).

Alcohol Withdrawal – Stage 2

Hallucinations, increased BP/HR, seizures risk (12–48 h).

Delirium Tremens (DTs)

Severe alcohol withdrawal with delirium, agitation, autonomic hyperactivity (48–72 h).

Opioid Overdose

Respiratory depression, pinpoint pupils, unconsciousness; treat with naloxone.

Tension-Building Phase

First stage of abusive cycle; abuser becomes edgy, victim attempts to calm.

Acute Battering Phase

Violent episode of abuse causing physical or emotional harm.

Honeymoon Phase

Abuser exhibits remorse, apologizes, and may give gifts; tension gradually rebuilds.

Human Trafficking

Exploitation through force, fraud, or coercion for labor or sexual purposes.

Cluster A Personality Disorders

Odd or eccentric: paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal.

Cluster B Personality Disorders

Dramatic, emotional: antisocial, borderline, histrionic, narcissistic.

Cluster C Personality Disorders

Anxious or fearful: avoidant, dependent, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.

Schizotypal Personality Disorder

Acute social deficits, cognitive distortions, eccentric behavior, but not psychotic.

Borderline Personality Disorder

Instability in relationships, self-image, affect; impulsivity, fear of abandonment.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Grandiosity, need for admiration, lack of empathy.

Antisocial Personality Disorder

Disregard for rights of others, deceitfulness, impulsivity, lack of remorse.

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

Preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, control at expense of flexibility.

Limit Setting

Clearly communicating expectations and consequences to promote safety and structure.

Genetic Etiology

Contribution of inherited genes to the development of mental disorders.