VII Glossary

Agranulocytosis: Extremely low white blood cell count. (Chapter 7.6)

Akathisia: Motor restlessness. (Chapter 7.2)

Anorexia nervosa: A condition where people avoid food, severely restrict food, or eat very small quantities of only certain foods. (Chapter 7.14)

Anxiety: Feelings of apprehension, uneasiness, uncertainty, or dread resulting from a real or perceived threat. (Chapter 7.8)

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): A neurodevelopmental disorder that is typically diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with ADHD may demonstrate inattention, excessive physical activity, or difficulty controlling impulsive behaviors.1 (Chapter 7.16)

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD): A neurodevelopmental disorder that can significantly affect a person’s behavior and their ability to communicate and socialize. occurs in all ethnic, racial, and economic groups. (Chapter 7.17)

Behavioral interventions: Reward desired behaviors and reduce maladaptive coping behaviors. (Chapter 7.11)

Behavior disorder: Diagnosed in children if the child demonstrates disruptive behaviors that are uncommon for the child’s age, persist over time, or are severe. (Chapter 7.15)

Binge eating disorder: Episodes of eating large amounts of food in a short period of time with a sense of loss of control overeating. (Chapter 7.14)

Bulimia nervosa: A condition where people have recurrent binge eating episodes followed by inappropriate compensatory behaviors such as self-induced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives or diuretics, or excessive exercise. (Chapter 7.14)

Chief complaint: The reason why the client is seeking health care in their own words. (Chapter 7.2)

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT):  A type of therapy that helps a person to recognize distorted and negative thinking with the goal of changing thoughts and behaviors to respond to changes in a more positive manner. (Chapter 7.5, Chapter 7.8)

Cognitive symptoms: Refer to problems in attention, concentration, and memory. (Chapter 7.13)

Command hallucinations: The voice is telling them to do something such as hurt themselves or another person. (Chapter 7.13)

Compulsions: Repetitive behaviors that a person with obsessive compulsive disorder feels the urge to do in response to an obsessive thought. (Chapter 7.9)

Conduct disorder (CD): An ongoing pattern of behavior in which the basic rights of others or societal norms or rules are violated. Categories of behaviors include aggression to people and animals, destruction of property, deceitfulness or theft, or serious violations of rules. (Chapter 7.15)

Delirium: Acute change of abnormal mental state. (Chapter 7.13)

Delusions: Fixed, false beliefs persisting in the face of objective contradictory evidence. (Chapter 7.13)

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT): A type of cognitive behavioral therapy that provides clients with new skills to manage painful emotions and decrease conflict in relationships. (Chapter 7.5)

Distractibility: A condition where attention is easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant stimuli. (Chapter 7.12)

Dyskinesia: Uncontrolled, involuntary movement. (Chapter 7.2)

Dystonia: Involuntary contractions of muscles of the extremities, face, neck, abdomen, pelvis, or larynx in sustained or intermittent patterns that lead to abnormal movements or postures. (Chapter 7.6)

Eating disorders: Distorted view of weight, body image, and unhealthy relationship with food. (Chapter 7.14)

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT): A medical procedure that uses brief electrical stimulation of the brain to induce a seizure while the client is under anesthesia. (Chapter 7.4)

Exposure and response prevention (EX/RP): Spending time in the very situation that triggers compulsions (for example, touching dirty objects) but then being prevented from undertaking the usual resulting compulsion (handwashing). (Chapter 7.9)

Exposure therapy: A type of psychotherapy that may be used alone or with CBT to treat some anxiety disorders such as phobias. Therapy includes exposure to the feared object or situation followed by therapy that focuses on confronting the fears underlying the anxiety to help people engage in activities they have been avoiding. (Chapter 7.8)

Extrapyramidal side effects: Involuntary and uncontrolled muscle movements. (Chapter 7.6)

Family dynamics: Patterns of interactions among relatives, their roles and relationships, and the various factors that shape their interactions. (Chapter 7.2)

Flashbacks: Mental experiences of reliving a past trauma over and over, including physical symptoms like a racing heart or sweating, bad dreams or frightening thoughts. (Chapter 7.10)

Flight of ideas: Frequent shifts from one topic to another with rapid speech, making it seem fragmented. (Chapter 7.12)

Generalized anxiety disorder: Extreme anxiety or worry about a number of events or activities (such as work or school performance). (Chapter 7.8)

Grandiose delusions: A state of false attribution to the self of great ability, knowledge, importance or worth, identity, prestige, power, or accomplishment. Clients may withdraw into an inner fantasy world that’s not equivalent to reality, where they have inflated importance, powers, or a specialness that is opposite of what their actual life is like. (Chapter 7.13)

Group therapy: A group of five to 15 individuals led by a trained mental health professional who meet weekly for an hour or two. (Chapter 7.5)

Hallucinations: False sensory perceptions not associated with real external stimuli involving any of the five senses. (Chapter 7.13)

Hypersomnia: Sleeping excessively. (Chapter 7.11)

Hypervigilance: A condition where the client is constantly scanning the environment for danger. (Chapter 7.10)

Hypomanic episodes: Episodes with similar symptoms to a manic episode but are less severe and do not cause significant impairment in social or occupational functioning or require hospitalization. (Chapter 7.12)

Illusions: Misperceptions of real stimuli. (Chapter 7.13)

Insomnia: Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. (Chapter 7.11)

Lanugo: Growth of fine hair all over the body. (Chapter 7.14)

Mania: A mental disorder that causes a person to experience a period of abnormally elevated energy, arousal, and affect. (Chapter 7.12)

Manic episode: A persistently elevated or irritable mood with abnormally increased energy lasting at least one week. (Chapter 7.12)

Mental status examination: A comprehensive assessment of a client’s level of consciousness and orientation, appearance and general behavior, speech, motor activity, affect and mood, thought and perception, attitude and insight, and cognitive abilities. (Chapter 7.2)

Metabolic syndrome: A combination of symptoms that increase the client’s risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, including high blood glucose, obesity with a large abdominal girth, hypertension, elevated triglycerides, and low HDL levels. (Chapter 7.6)

Negative symptoms: Refer to loss of motivation, disinterest or lack of enjoyment in daily activities, social withdrawal, flat affect (i.e., reduced expression of emotions via facial expression or voice tone), and reduced speaking. (Chapter 7.13)

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS): A rare but fatal adverse effect that can occur at any time during treatment with antipsychotics. It typically develops over a period of days to weeks and resolves in approximately nine days with treatment. Signs include increased temperature, severe muscular rigidity, confusion, agitation, hyperreflexia, elevated white blood cell count, elevated creatinine phosphokinase, elevated liver enzymes, myoglobinuria, and acute renal failure. (Chapter 7.6)

Neurotransmitters: Chemical substances released at the end of a neuron by the arrival of an electrical impulse. (Chapter 7.6)

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI): Intentional self-inflicted destruction of body tissue without suicidal intention and for purposes not socially sanctioned. (Chapter 7.2)

Obsessions: Uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts, urges, or mental images that cause anxiety. (Chapter 7.9)

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): A chronic mental health condition in which a person has obsessive thoughts and/or compulsive behaviors they feel the urge to repeat over and over. (Chapter 7.9)

Oppositional defiant disorder: A mental health condition referring to a pattern of angry/irritable mood, argumentative/defiant behaviors, or vindictiveness lasting at least six months. (Chapter 7.15)

Panic attacks: An abrupt surge of intense fear or discomfort demonstrated by palpitations, sweating, tachycardia, shakiness, nausea, chest discomfort, lightheadedness, paresthesias, and feelings of a tightened throat. (Chapter 7.8)

Panic disorder: Having recurrent, unexpected panic attacks. (Chapter 7.8)

Paranoid delusions: Delusions causing extreme suspiciousness, mistrust, or fear. (Chapter 7.13)

Phobias: Extreme fears about a specific thing or situation, such as dogs, insects, or receiving an injection. (Chapter 7.8)

Positive symptoms: Symptoms of psychosis and include abnormal thoughts and perceptions such as illusions, hallucinations, delusions, and abnormal speech patterns. (Chapter 7.13)

Postpartum depression: Feelings of extreme sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion that may make it difficult for new mothers to complete daily care activities for themselves and/or for their babies. (Chapter 7.11)

Postpartum psychosis: Severe postpartum depression resulting delusions (thoughts or beliefs that are not true), hallucinations (seeing, hearing, or smelling things that are not there), mania (a high, elated mood that often seems out of touch with reality), paranoia, and confusion. (Chapter 7.11)

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): A mental health condition in individuals who have been exposed to a traumatic event with chronic stress symptoms lasting more than one month that are so severe they interfere with relationships, school, or work. (Chapter 7.10)

Priapism: Painful or prolonged penile erections can occur; seek immediate medical attention. (Chapter 7.6)

Psychosis: Signs and symptoms of disturbed thoughts and processes and loss of contact with reality. (Chapter 7.13)

Psychosocial assessment: A component of the nursing assessment that detects risks and identifies treatment opportunities and resources. (Chapter 7.2)

Psychotherapy: Psychological services provided by a trained mental health professional that primarily uses forms of communication and interaction to assess, diagnose, and treat dysfunctional emotional reactions, ways of thinking, and behavior patterns. (Chapter 7.4, Chapter 7.5)

Psychotropic medications: Medications used to treat mental health symptoms. (Chapter 7.2, Chapter 7.4)

Purging episodes: Behaviors that occur in anorexia after eating that include self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas to eliminate what was consumed. (Chapter 7.4)

Relapse: Occurs when an individual returns to the former problematic behavior, such as smoking, drinking excessively, or misusing other substances. (Chapter 7.12)

Religious delusions: Fixed religious beliefs unique to an individual rather than an accepted belief by a culture or existing religion. If the belief is shared with a religious group, it is not considered a delusion. An example of an religious delusion by an individual is that intergalactic deities are controlling their thoughts or actions. (Chapter 7.13)

Schizophrenia: A severe, chronic mental illness that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. It also affects the person’s ability to recognize their symptoms as problematic, referred to as a “lack of insight.” (Chapter 7.13)

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD): A condition that includes mood changes and symptoms similar to depression during the fall and winter months, especially in northern latitudes, when there is less sunlight. (Chapter 7.11)

Separation anxiety disorder: Extreme feelings of anxiety when separated from a loved one. (Chapter 7.8)

Serotonin syndrome: A medical emergency due to high doses of antidepressants or a combination of medications that affect serotonin, such as antidepressants or triptans (used to treat migraine headaches). (Chapter 7.6)

Social anxiety disorder: A type of anxiety disorder characterized by extreme anxiety or fear related to social situations where they may be scrutinized by others. (Chapter 7.8)

Spirituality: A sense of connection to something larger than oneself and typically involves a search for meaning and purpose in life. (Chapter 7.2)

Substance/Medication-induced anxiety disorder: Anxiety or panic attacks after exposure or withdrawal from a medication or substance. (Chapter 7.8)

Suicidal ideation: Thoughts about killing oneself. (Chapter 7.2, Chapter 7.3)

Tardive dyskinesia: A syndrome of movement disorders that persists for at least one month and can last up to several years despite discontinuation of the medications. (Chapter 7.6)

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS): A noninvasive procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain to improve symptoms of depression. (Chapter 7.4)