Psychiatric-Mental Health Practice Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary and concept flashcards covering psychiatric-mental health topics including anger management, therapeutic communication, legal ethics, neurocognitive disorders, and substance abuse.

Safety First in Aggression

The priority when dealing with angry or aggressive behavior; ensure personal safety and self-care by sitting at a $45^{\circ}$ angle, leaving the door open, having a quick exit, and responding early.

De-escalation Technique (Speech)

Speaking softly in a nonprovocative, nonjudgmental manner while using clarification and avoiding speaking over the patient.

Lorazepam (Ativan)

A Benzodiazepine used as the first choice to control acute aggressive episodes and reduce anxiety; requires monitoring for sedation and dependence.

Flumazenil

The receptor antagonist used to reverse the effects of Benzodiazepines.

Lithium therapeutic level

The blood concentration range of $0.5-1.2\,mEq/L$ utilized for the treatment of bipolar disorder.

Restating

A therapeutic communication technique where the nurse repeats the main idea expressed to give the patient an idea of what was communicated.

Reflecting

Directing questions, feelings, and ideas back to the patient to encourage them to accept their own ideas and acknowledge their right to make decisions.

Transference

A phenomenon where a patient transfers behaviors and emotions onto others, usually related to significant figures from their childhood.

Countertransference

The displacement of feelings toward the patient by the nurse, often related to the nurse's past experiences.

HEADSSS

A psychosocial assessment interview technique for adolescents evaluating Home environment, Education, Activities, Drug/alcohol use, Sexuality, Suicide risk, and Savagery.

Flat affect

A behavior where a patient shows very little emotion through facial expression, voice, or body.

Labile mood

Emotions that change very quickly and unpredictably, such as laughing one moment and crying the next.

Hallucination

Sensing something that is not actually there, such as hearing voices or seeing things.

Illusion

The misinterpretation of something that is actually real in the environment.

Milieu therapy

A treatment approach where the environment is structured to be the most therapeutic.

Beneficence

The ethical duty to act so as to benefit or promote the good of others, such as spending extra time to help calm an anxious patient.

Autonomy

Respecting the rights of others to make their own decisions, such as acknowledging a patient's right to refuse medication.

Veracity

The duty to communicate truthfully, such as describing side effects of medications in a non-misleading way.

The Baker Act (1972)

A law that protects individuals from harming themselves or others, allowing them to be held for up to $72\,hours$ involuntarily.

Duty to Warn

The obligation to break confidentiality when a patient makes a threat, requiring notification of the police and the person who could be harmed.

Positive Symptoms (Schizophrenia)

New behaviors that were not occurring before, including hallucinations, delusions, bizarre behavior, and catatonia.

Negative Symptoms (Schizophrenia)

Symptoms involving the loss of normal function, such as apathy, anhedonia, flat affect, social withdrawal, and thought blocking.

Tardive dyskinesia

An Extrapyramidal Syndrome (EPS) that develops after prolonged treatment with antipsychotic medications.

FEVER Acronym (NMS)

A tool to monitor for Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome: Fever, Elevated CPK/WBC, Vital sign fluctuation, Encephalopathy, and muscular Rigidity.

Sundown syndrome

A state of severe confusion and increased agitation occurring in the elderly or those with delirium that worsens in the evening.

Agnosia

A symptom in Alzheimer's Stage 3 where the patient cannot recognize the purpose of normal objects or loved ones.

Hyperorality

The tendency to want to put everything in the mouth, often seen in Stage 4 Alzheimer's Disease.

SIGECAPS

An assessment tool for Major Depressive Disorder: Sleep, Interest, Guilt, Energy, Concentration, Appetite, Psychomotor activity, and Suicidal Ideation.

DIGFAST

An acronym to identify bipolar mania: Distractibility, Impulsive, Grandiosity, Flight of ideas, Activity increase, Sleep needs diminish, and Talkative.

Somatic Symptom Disorder

A disorder focused on physical symptoms created by stressors that cannot be medically proven, lasting $6\,months$ or more.

Functional Neurological Disorder (Conversion Disorder)

A condition where the body produces neurological symptoms to repress a traumatic event, often manifesting as limb paralysis or non-epileptic seizures.

Factitious Disorder

Intentionally fabricating symptoms in order to assume the sick or patient role for attention, without obvious external benefits.

Malingering

Intentionally faking or exaggerating symptoms specifically for an obvious external benefit, such as medication seeking or avoiding work.

Wernicke’s Encephalopathy

A complication of chronic alcohol use treated with Vitamin B1 (thiamine).

Opioid Overdose Triad

The classic diagnostic signs of opioid overdose: Coma, Respiratory depression, and Pinpoint pupils.

Disulfiram (Antabuse)

Aversion therapy for alcohol recovery; patient must be alcohol-free for $14\,days$ before starting as ingestion with alcohol causes severe nausea, headache, and flushing.

Severe Anxiety

A level of anxiety where the perceptual field is greatly reduced, learning and problem solving are severely impaired, and the person may experience a sense of impending doom.

Panic Level Anxiety

The highest level of anxiety where the person is unable to process the environment, loses touch with reality, and may be completely immobile or screaming.

Sublimation

A healthy defense mechanism where uncomfortable emotions are redirected into a positive activity.

Splitting

An immature defense mechanism where one views individuals or situations as all good or all bad with no in-between.

Anorexia Nervosa

An eating disorder characterized by self-starvation, an intense fear of gaining weight, and a $BMI < 17$.

Russell’s sign

Callused knuckles resulting from self-induced vomiting, commonly seen in Bulimia Nervosa.