Psych final terms with examples

Aphasia

Loss of language ability (e.g., can't speak or understand after stroke)

Apraxia

Loss of purposeful movement (e.g., forgets how to use a toothbrush)

Agnosia

Loss of sensory ability to recognize objects (e.g., can't name a spoon)

Agraphia

Diminished ability to read or write

Confabulation

Making up stories to fill memory gaps (e.g., says “I went to work” when they didn’t)

Perseveration

Repeating words, phrases, or gestures over and over

Sundowning

Agitation and mood worsening later in the day or night

Associative looseness

Shifting from one unrelated idea to another (e.g., “Cats are soft. The moon is quiet.”)

Word salad

Jumbled words that make no sense (e.g., “Blue car jump sky open”)

Clang associations

Words chosen for sound, not meaning (e.g., “Fat cat sat bat”)

Neologisms

Made-up words only the speaker understands (e.g., “gribblegrop”)

Echolalia

Repeating exactly what someone else says (e.g., “How are you?” → “How are you?”)

Circumstantial speech

Going into too many details but eventually answering

Tangentiality

Wandering off-topic and never reaching the point

Cognitive retardation

Slow thinking, long pauses before responses

Pressured speech

Urgent, rapid talking that’s hard to interrupt

Flight of ideas

Quickly jumping between loosely connected thoughts

Symbolic speech

Using metaphors instead of direct communication (e.g., “The knives are falling” = danger)

Circadian rhythms

Natural body patterns like sleep-wake, hormone release

Core

Regulates organs and vital functions

Hypothalamus

Controls hunger, thirst, emotion-body link, and organ functions

Brainstem

Processes sensory info and connects brain to spinal cord

Cerebellum

Regulates muscle movement and balance

Cerebrum

Controls thought, memory, emotion, movement, language

Structured imaging

CT and MRI (show brain structure/anatomy)

Functional imaging

PET and SPECT (show how the brain works)

Norepinephrine

Stress/fight-or-flight neurotransmitter

Serotonin

Regulates mood, hunger, sleep, and pain

Dopamine

Mood, pleasure, reward, attention, and motivation

Glutamate

Excitatory; involved in learning, memory, and restlessness

GABA

Calming neurotransmitter; inhibits neuron activity

Neuropeptides

Help neurons talk to each other

Acetylcholine

Helps with memory, movement, sleep, and pain

Antianxiety drugs

Target GABA (calming effect)

Antidepressants

Target norepinephrine and serotonin

Cholinesterase inhibitors

Boost acetylcholine (used for Alzheimer’s)

Mood stabilizers

Regulate glutamate

Antipsychotics

Block dopamine and serotonin

Acute phase

Treatment goal = prevent injury

Continuation phase

Treatment goal = prevent relapse

Maintenance phase

Treatment goal = prevent future episodes

Primary prevention

Education and support for at-risk people

Secondary prevention

Screening and early detection

Tertiary prevention

Rehabilitation and preserving function

Patricia Benner

Caring is the foundation of nursing; focus on patient-nurse relationship

Dorothea Orem

Promotes self-care as a nursing goal

Infancy

Trust vs. mistrust

Early childhood

Autonomy vs. shame and doubt

Preschool

Initiative vs. guilt

School age

Industry vs. inferiority

Adolescence

Identity vs. role confusion

Early adulthood

Intimacy vs. isolation

Middle adulthood

Generativity vs. stagnation

Later years

Integrity vs. despair

Overt suicide statements

Direct, clear statements like “I want to die”

Covert suicide statements

Hidden clues like “It’ll all be okay soon” or “I won’t be a problem much longer”

Prodromal schizophrenia

Subtle early symptoms before full illness (e.g., withdrawal, odd thoughts)

Phase 1 schizophrenia

Acute phase with hallucinations, delusions, major functional loss

Phase 2 schizophrenia

Stabilization phase where meds begin working and functioning improves

Phase 3 schizophrenia

Maintenance phase with near-baseline functioning and minimal symptoms

Hallucinations

False sensory experiences (e.g., hearing voices when no one is there)

Delusions

False beliefs despite evidence (e.g., thinking the FBI is watching you)

Illusions

Misinterpreting real things (e.g., shadow looks like a person)

Resiliency

Ability to bounce back from stress, failure, or trauma

Positive schizophrenia symptoms

Extra things added like hallucinations or delusions

Negative schizophrenia symptoms

Things missing like motivation, speech, or emotions

Delirium

Sudden confusion, often reversible (e.g., caused by infection or meds)

Dementia

Slow, progressive decline in memory and cognition, usually irreversible

Transference

Patient projects feelings about others onto the nurse

Countertransference

Nurse’s emotional reaction based on their own past experiences