This document defines and describes various psychological and psychiatric terms including: - Affect, aggression, akathisia, alcoholics anonymous, amnesia, autism, anorexia nervosa, anxiety, ataxia, autistic disorder, bipolar disorder, bulimia nervosa and more. It provides brief definitions of psychological concepts, behaviors, symptoms and disorders ranging from types of memory impairment to eating disorders to side effects of medication. Many terms are defined in just a sentence with some examples given in slightly more detail, such as descriptions of types of amnesia or criteria for anorexia nervosa. Overall the document serves as a reference list defining over 75 important psychological

2. 1. Affect: A short – lived emotional
response to an idea or event.
It may be appropriate (congruent with
situation), inappropriate (incongruent
with situation),constricted or blunted
(diminished range or intensity), flat
(absence of emotional expression).
2. Aggression: Harsh physical or verbal
actions (consciously or unconsciously)
intended to harm or injure others.

3. 3. Akathisia: Motor restlessness,
inability to sit still.
4. Alcoholic anonymous (AA):A
major self help organization for
the treatment of alcoholism
which is based on a 12 step
programme to help members
attain and maintain sobriety.
Once an individual had attained
sobriety, they in turn help other
alcoholic persons.

4. 4. Amnesia: Pathological
impairment of memory. It is of
two types:
a) Anterograde amnesia:
amnesia of events occurring
after the episode which
precipitated the disorder.
b) Retrograde amnesia: Amnesia
of events occurring prior to
the episode which
precipitated the disorder.
5.Autism: Focus inward on
fantasy world, while distorting
or excluding external
environment, common in
schizophrenia.

5. 6.Anorexia Nervosa: An eating
disorder that is characterized by
morbid fear of obesity. There is
persistent lack of appetite by refusal
of food often accompanied by
vomiting and severe weight loss. The
condition occurs most frequently in
adolescent girls who feel fat even
when dangerously thin.
7.Anxiety: Is diffuse apprehension
that is vague in nature and
associated with the feelings of
uncertainty & helplessness.

6. 8.Ataxia: Lack of co-ordination
either physical or mental. The term
“intrapsychic ataxia” refers to lack of
co-ordination between feelings &
thoughts, found in schizophrenia.
9.Autistic disorder: the withdrawal
of an infant or child into self & into
a fantasy world of his or her own
creation. There is marked
impairment in interpersonal
functioning & communication.
Activities and interests are restricted
they are considered somewhat
bizarre.

7. 10. Bipolar disorder: characterized by
mood swings from proud depression
to extreme euphoria ( mania) with
intervening period of normalcy.
Psychotic symptoms may or may not
present.
11.Bulimia nervosa: An eating
disorder in which there is episodic,
uncontrolled, compulsive, rapid
ingestion of large quantities of food
over a short period of time, followed
by inappropriate compensatory
behaviours to rid the body of the
excess calories.

8. 12.circumstantiality:Individual
includes in his conversation many
unnecessary details and
explanations before the goal is
finally reached. The details
explained are related but not
essential.
13.Cognition: The mental process
characterized by knowing,
thinking, learning and judging.

9. 14. Cataplexy: Condition in which
a person maintains the body
position in which he is placed. It is
a symptom observed in severe
cases of catatonic schizophrenia. It
is also known as wax flexibility.
15. Compulsion or compulsive
movements: Individual feels
compelled to carry out certain
pattern of behaviour, while
knowing fully well that it is absurd
& logically unnecessary yet finding
no peace until it has been
completed.

10. 16.Confabulation: unconscious
filling of gaps in memory by
imagined or untrue experiences.
17.Conversion disorder: A
somatoform disorder characterized
by a loss or alteration of physical
functioning without evidence of
organic impairment.
18.Crisis:A disturbance caused by
stressful event or perceived threat
to self.

11. 16.Crisis intervention: Short term
therapy focused on solving the
immediate problem & allowing the
patient to return to pre-crisis level of
functioning.
17.Coping mechanism: Any effort
directed at stress management. It can
be problem, cognitive or emotion
focused.
18. Delirium: A state of mental
confusion & excitement
characterized by disorientation for
time & place, often with
hallucinations, incoherent speech &
a state of aimless physical activity.

12. 19.Defense mechanism: Coping
mechanism of ego that attempt to
protect the person from feelings of
inadequacy & worthlessness &
prevent awareness of anxiety. They
are primarily unconscious & involve
a degree of self deception & reality
distortion.
20.Deliquency: A minor violation of
legal or moral codes, especially by
children or adolescents. Juvenile
deliquency is such behaviour by a
young person (16 or 18 years of age)
that brings him/her to the attention
of a court.

13. 21.Delusions:These are false
beliefs, which are irrational, not
shared by the person of same age,
race & standard of education,
which is held by conviction &
which cannot be altered by logical
arguments & which are persistent.
22.Dementia: Global impairment
of cognitive functioning that is
progressive & interferes with social
or occupational abilities.

14. 21.Depersonalization:An alteration
in the perception or experience of
self so that the feeling of one’s
reality is temporarily lost
22.Derealization: An alteration in
the perception or experience of
external world so that it seems
strange or unreal.
23.Depression:A mental state
characterized by feelings of
sadness, loneliness, despair, low
self esteem & self approach.

15. 24.Dija vu: It is an experience of
seeing with feeling that one has
seen it before but does not know
when & where.
25.Disulfiram:A drug that is
administered to individuals who
abuse alcohol as a deterrent to
drinking. Ingestion of alcohol
while disulfiram is in body results
in a syndrome of symptoms that
can produce a great deal of
discomfort & can even result in
death if blood alcohol level is high.

16. 26.Dystonia: Involuntary muscular
movements (spasms) of the face,
arms, legs and neck may occur as
an extrapyramidal side-effect of
some antipsychotic medications.
27.Echolalia: Repetition of another
person’s words.
28.Echopraxia:Imitation of another
person’s movement.
29.Sympathy:The intellectual &
emotional awareness &
understanding of another person’s
state of mind.

17. 30.Electro convulsive therapy: A
type of somatic treatment in which
electric current is applied to the
brain through electrodes placed on
the temples. A grandmal seizure
produces the desired effect. This is
used with severely depressed
patients refractory to
antidepressant medications.
31.Exhibitionism: It is a common
deviation which is defined as
compulsive & deliberate exposure
of genitals in public, mostly by
males.

18. 32.Extra pyramidal symptoms: A
variety of responses that originate
outside the pyramidal tracts & in the
basal ganglion of the brain.
Symptoms may include tremors,
chorea, dystonia, akathisia, akinesia
and others may occur as a side-
effect of some antipsychotic
medications.
33.Fugue:A sudden unexpected travel
away from home or customary work
locale with the assumption of new
identity, usually occurring in
response to severe psychological
stress.

19. 34.Fight of ideas: Over productive
speech characterized by rapid
shifting from one topic to other &
fragmented ideas.
35.Grandiosity: Excessive &
exaggravated feeling of one’s
importance.
36.Generalized anxiety disorder: A
disorder characterized by chronic
(at least 6 months) unrealistic &
excessive anxiety & worry.

20. 37.Grief: It is a subjective state of
emotional, physical and social
responses to the real or perceived
loss of a valued entity. Change &
failure can also perceived as losses.
38.Hallucinations:False sensory
perceptions not associated with
real external stimuli. It may
involve any of the five senses.
39.Homosexuality:A sexual
preference for persons of same
gender.

21. 40.Hypochondriasis:The unrealistic
preoccupation with fear of having
a serious illness.
41.Hysteria:It is a neurotic disorder
characterized by suggestibility,
emotional outbrusts,Historic
behaviour (attension seeking),
repressed anxiety &
transformation of an unconscious
conflict into physical symptoms
such as paralysis, blindness & loss
of sensation.

22. 43. Illusion: A misperception of
real external stimuli.
44.Incoherence: Thought process
that is disconnected, disorganized
or incomprehensible.
45.Insight:The ability to
understand one’s own behaviour &
emotions. In the context of
psychiatric disorders, it implies the
degree of awareness &
understanding that the patient has
regarding his/her illness.

23. 46. James vu: False feeling of
unfamiliarity with a real situation
that one has experienced.
47.La –balle indifference: A
symptom of conversion disorder in
which there is a relative lack of
concern that is out of keeping with
the severity of impairment.
48.Labile affect: Rapid & abrupt
changes in affect, unrelated to
external stimuli.

24. 46. Libido: Freud’s term for
psychic energy used to fulfil basic
physiological needs or instinctual
drives such as hunger, thrist and
sexuality.
47.Mania: A type of bipolar
behaviour in which predominant
mood is elevated, expansive or
irritable. Motor activity is
increased. Psychotic features may
or may not present.

25. 48.Melancholia: A severe form of
major depressive episode. Symptoms
are exaggerated and interest or
pleasure in virtually all activities is
lost.
49.Meditation: A method of
relaxation in which an individual sits
in a quiet place & focuses total
concentration on an object, word or
thought.
50.Mood: An individual’s sustained
emotional tone, which significantly
influences behaviour, personality &
perception.

26. 51.Milieu therapy: Also called
therapeutic community or
therapeutic environment, this type
of therapy consists of a scientific
structuring of the environment to
effect behavioural changes & to
improve the individual’s
psychological health &
functioning.
52.Mutism: Complete absence of
speech.

27. 53.Mourning:The psychological
process (or stage) through which
the individual passes on the way to
successful adaptation to the loss of
a valued object.
55.Negativism: Strong resistance to
suggestions or directions;
exhibiting behaviours contrary to
what is expected.
55.Neuroleptics:Antipsychotic
medications used to prevent or
control psychotic symptoms.

28. 56.Neologism:New words that an
individual invents that are
meaningless to others but have
symbolic meaning to the psychotic
person.
57.Neuroleptic Malignant
syndrome: A rare but potentially
fatal complication of treatment
with neuroleptic drugs. Symptoms
include severe muscle rigidity,
high fever, tachycardia,
fluctuations in B.P., deterioration
of mental status to stupor or coma.

29. 58.Neurosis: A psychotic disturbance
characterized by excessive anxiety or
depression, disrupted bodily functions,
unsatisfying interpersonal
relationships,& behaviours that interfere
with routine functioning. There is no loss
of contact with reality.
59.Neurotransmitter: A chemical that is
stored in the axon terminals of
presynaptic neuron. Electronic impulse
through the neuron stimulates the
release of neurotransmitter into synaptic
cleft, which in turn determines whether
or not an other electrical impulse is
generated.

30. 60.Obsessions: Fixed or recurrent
thoughts in person’s mind. Person
himself recognizes them be
abnormal. Ideas recur over and
over again & forces themselves
into consciousness even though
they are welcomed.
61.Oculogyric crisis: An attack of
involuntary deviation & fixation of
the eyeballs, usually an upward
position. It may last for several
minutes or hours & may occur as
an extra pyramidal side effect of
antipsychotic medications.

31. 62.Panic: A state of extreme
anxiety that involves
disorganization of personality.
Distorted perceptions, loss of
rationale thought & inability to
communicate & function are
evident.
63.Perservation: Involuntary,
excessive continuation or
repetition of single response, idea
or activity may apply to speech or
movement but most often verbal.

32. 64.Perception:Identification &
initial interpretation of a stimulus
based on information received
through the five senses of sight,
hearing, taste, touch & smell.
65.Phobia: A morbid fear
associated with extreme anxiety.
66.Projection: Attributing one’s
own thoughts or impulses to
another person.

33. 67.Pseudocysis: A condition in
which an individual has nearly all
the signs & symptoms of
pregnancy, but is not pregnant, a
conversion reaction.
68.Psychosis: A serious psychiatric
disorder in which there is a gross
disorganization of personality, a
marked disturbance in reality
testing & the impairment of
interpersonal communication &
relationship to the external world.

34. 69.Rationalization: Attempting to
make excuses or formulate logical
reasons to justify unacceptable
feelings or behaviour.
70.Reaction formation: Preventing
unacceptable or undesirable
thoughts or behaviours from being
expressed by exaggerating
thoughts or types of behaviour.
71.Somatization:A method of
coping with psychological stress
by developing physical symptoms.

35. 72.Somnabulism/Sleep walking:
This disorder occurs repeatedly
when the individual sits up, picks
up from his bed, goes & eats sitting
on a dining table, opens the door &
goes to sleep on the floor in
courtyard.
73.Stress: A state of disequilibrium
that occurs when there is a
disharmony between demand
occurring within an individual’s
internal or external environment
& his or her ability to cope with
those demands.

36. 73.Substance abuse: Use of
psychotic drugs that poses
significant hazards to health &
interfere with social, occupational,
psychological & physical
functioning.
74.Stupor: When motor
retardation is progressive & severe
& person may finally reached a
stage where he is completely
motionless. He is fully conscious
but remains in one position for
hours at a time.

37. 75.Tardive dyskinesia: Syndrome of
symptoms characterized by bizarre
facial & tongue movements, a stiff
neck & difficult swallowing. It may
act as an adverse effect of long
term therapy with antipsychotic
medications.
76.Thought blocking: Sudden
stopping in the train of thought or
in the midest of sentence.

38. 77.Transexual: A person who is
automatically a male or female but
express with wrong conviction
that he or she has the mind or
emotions of opposite sex, lives as a
member of opposite sex part time
& seeks to change his/ her sex
legally through hormonal &
surgical sex reassignment.

39. THANK YOU