what is an illusion
a type of false perception of a real stimulus e.g. seeing trees as humans
what is a hallucination
a perception in the absence of a stimulus e.g. hearing voices when there are none
what is a pseudohallucination
an involuntary sensory experience vivid enough to be regarded as a hallucination, but which is recognised by the person experiencing it as being subjective and unreal
what is an overvalued idea
a form of abnormal belief but that is not so FIRMLY held/can be convinced otherwise
what is a delusion
an abnormal belief which is FALSE and FIXED (may be held in the face of contradictory evidence + has significant importance for person)
what is a delusional perception
a primary delusion which is recalled as having arisen as a result of a perception (e.g. a patient who, on seeing two white
cars pull up in front of his house became convinced that he was therefore
about to be wrongly accused of being a paedophile)
what is concrete thinking
the loss of ability to understand abstract concepts and metaphorical ideas = leads to strictly literal form of speech and inability to comprehend allusive language
- schizophrenia
- dementia
what is loosening of association
symptom of formal thought disorder where there is lack of meaningful connection between sequential ideas
what is circumstantiality/circumstantial thinking
disorder of thought form
= irrelevant details/digressions overwhelm the thought process but eventually get to the point
- mania
- anankastic personality
what is perseveration
continuing verbal response/action past when it is reasonable e.g. continuing to say ‘in the hospital’ to every question
more indicative of organic brian disease
what is confabulation
process of describing plausibly false memories for which the patient has amnesia
- korsakoff psychosis
- dementia
- alcoholic palimpsest
what is somatic passivity
experience of bodily sensations (actions/thoughts/emotions) imposed by external agency e.g. voices commenting on one’s actions
what is pressure of speech
speech pattern due to pattern of thought = rapid, difficult to interrupt
what are the 3 main symptoms of depression
low mood
anhedonia = loss of pleasure in previously pleasurable activities
anergia = low energy
what is incongruity of affect
displayed affect is not consistent with current thoughts or actions e.g. laughing while discussing trauma
- schizophrenia
what is blunting of affect
loss of normal degree of emotional sensitivity/appropriate emotional response to events
= negative sympt schizophrenia
what is belle indifference
surprising lack of concern for/denial of severe functional disability
what is depersonalisation
unpleasant subjective experience where patient feels theyve become unreal
what is thought alienation
patients feel their thoughts are no longer within their control e.g. removed or replaced by an outside agency
- psychosis
- schizophrenia
what is thought insertion
delusional belief that thoughts are being placed in patients head from outside = FIRST RANK SYMPT
what thought possession phenomena are first rank symptoms?
thought broadcasting
thought echo
thought insertion
thought blocking if due to delusion
what is thought echo
auditory hallucination where patients think they can hear their own thoughts out loud
what is thought blocking
sudden break in chain of thought
in absence of delusional elaboration = NOT a 1st rank symptom
what is akathisia
a subjective sense of uncomfortable desire to move relieved by repeated movement of the affected part = SE of some antipsychotics