psychiatry terms

apathy

absence of emotion; lack of interest/emotional involvement

bulimia nervosa

eating disorder with binge eating followed by vomiting, purging, and depression

anorexia nervosa

eating disorder with excessive dieting and refusal to maintain a normal body weight

affect

external of emotion/emotional response

hallucination

false sensory perception (hearing/seeing things)

agoraphobia

fear of open spaces and being away from home alone

delusion

fixed, false belief that cannot be changed by logical reasoning/evidence

hypochondriasis

excessive worry of having a serious illness

ego

coordinating branch of the personality/mind

id

major unconscious part of the personality; energy from instinctual drives and desires

psychosis

marked by loss of contact with reality; often associated with delusions and hallucinations

compulsion

uncontrollable urge to perform an act repeatedly in an attempt to reduce anxiety

OCD

anxiety disorder in which recurrent thoughts and repetitive acts dominate behavior

PTSD

anxiety related symptoms appear after personal experience of a traumatic event

delirium

acute episodes of confused thinking, disorientation, agitation, and fearfulness

repression

defense mechanism by which unacceptable thoughts, feelings, and impulses are automatically pushed into the unconscious; out of awareness

fugue

unconscious flight from customary surrounding; a sign of dissociative disorder

phobia

irrational/disabling fear (avoidance) of an object/situation

bipolar disorder

marked by alternating periods of mania and depression

paranoia

overly suspicious system of thinking with fixed delusions of being harassed, persecuted/unfairly treated

phenothiazine

drugs used to treat serious mental illness

sedatives

drugs that induce calmness, promote sleep, and help lessen anxiety

benzodiazepines

drugs that lessen anxiety, tension, agitation, and panic attacks

hypnotics

meds used to induce, extend/improve the quality of sleep, and to reduce wakefulness during sleep

psychodrama

group therapy in which a patient expresses feelings by acting out family and social roles with other patients

lithium

medication used to treat bipolar illness

hypnosis

induced trance