Mental Health Nursing Terminology

Questions and Answers

What is flight of ideas?

Disorganized thinking with related ideas

A combination of jumbled words and phrases

Going on a tangent from a topic

Excessive amount and rate of speech composed of fragmented or unrelated ideas (correct)

Associative looseness can be seen in which condition?

Anxiety

Bipolar disorder

Depression

Schizophrenia (correct)

What does circumstantiality refer to?

The use of extraneous words and long, tedious descriptions.

What is tangentiality?

Going off course or digressing from one topic to another. Signup and view all the answers

Define neologisms.

Invented words that have meaning only for the client. Signup and view all the answers

What is concrete thinking?

Giving literal translations with diminished abstraction. Signup and view all the answers

What are clang associations?

Ideas that are related to each other based on sound or rhyming. Signup and view all the answers

What is word salad?

A combination of jumbled words and phrases that make no sense. Signup and view all the answers

Define perseveration.

Persistent adherence to a single idea or topic and repetitively verbalizing. Signup and view all the answers

What does echolalia mean?

Imitation or repetition of what another person says. Signup and view all the answers

What is a delusion?

A fixed idea not changed by reason. Signup and view all the answers

What are persecutory/paranoid delusions?

Belief that others are planning to harm or spy on the client. Signup and view all the answers

Define grandiose delusion.

Belief in association with famous people or exaggerated personal power. Signup and view all the answers

What is reference delusion?

Belief that media has special personal significance. Signup and view all the answers

What are nihilistic delusions?

Belief that one's organs are not functioning or are rotting away. Signup and view all the answers

Define obsession.

Compulsive preoccupation with an idea or unwanted emotion. Signup and view all the answers

What does paranoia involve?

Intense anxious or fearful feelings often related to perceived threats. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Flight of Ideas

Excessive rate of speech featuring fragmented or unrelated ideas.
Commonly observed in bipolar disorder.
Characteristic of mania with rapid topic changes based on associations.

Associative Looseness

Disorganized thinking with abrupt transitions between ideas.
Common in schizophrenia, with thoughts lacking logical connections.
Example: Unrelated ideas presented together, such as "He went to the ballpark and bought Frank's beer belly home in a bag of grass seed."

Circumstantiality

Involves excessive detail and long-winded descriptions.
The speaker may avoid getting to the main point.

Tangentiality

Involves digressing from the main topic by going off on tangents.
Often associated with word associations.

Neologisms

Created words that hold personal meaning for the individual.
Example: Statements like "I'm afraid of grittiz," where "grittiz" is undefined for others.

Concrete Thinking

Thinking characterized by literal interpretations of information.
Abstraction and metaphorical reasoning are diminished or absent.

Clang Associations

Connections between ideas based primarily on sound and rhyme.
Common in conditions like Tourette's syndrome.
Example: Rhyming phrases that lack logical meaning, such as "I will take a pill if I go up the hill..."

Word Salad

Random assortment of words and phrases that is incoherent and confusing to listeners.
Example: Disconnected phrases like "Corn, potatoes, jump up, play games..."

Perseveration

Persistent focus on a single idea or topic with verbal repetition of phrases.
The speaker often repeats words regardless of topic changes.
Example: Client repeatedly stating concerns about being followed.

Echolalia

Imitative behavior where the client replicates what the nurse says.
Example: Repeating the nurse’s question verbatim.

Delusion

Fixed, false beliefs that remain unchanged despite reasonable evidence to the contrary.

Persecutory/Paranoid Delusions

Belief that others intend to harm, spy, or ridicule the individual.
Clients may suspect poison in food or surveillance, sometimes naming specific "persecutors."

Grandiose Delusion

Believing oneself to have extraordinary abilities or a close connection to famous individuals.
Examples include claims of associations with celebrities or significant contributions like finding a cancer cure.

Reference Delusion

Belief that external communications (like media) carry personal significance or messages.
Example: Thinking news broadcasts are directly addressing the individual.

Nihilistic Delusions

Believing that major bodily functions are failing or that parts of the body are decaying or disfigured.
Thoughts may include feeling as if parts of oneself are dead.

Obsession

Compulsive fixation on an idea or feeling, often accompanied by anxiety.

Paranoia

Intense feelings of anxiety or fear related to perceived threats or conspiracies.
Often manifest as a symptom of broader mental health issues.

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Test your knowledge of key mental health nursing terms with this quiz. Each flashcard presents definitions and concepts essential for understanding various conditions such as bipolar disorder. Great for nursing students and mental health professionals looking to reinforce their vocabulary.