A ~ B ~ C ~ D ~ E ~ F ~ G ~ H ~ I ~ J-L ~ M-O ~ P ~ R ~ S ~ T ~ U-W

P

Panic attack - An acute, intense rise in anxiety that is experienced as overwhelming and accompanied by feelings of impending doom. During a panic attack, one may experience heart racing or pounding, shortness of breath, numbness or tingling, nausea, several other physiological symptoms, and fear of dying or losing control of one’s mind.

Panic disorder - An anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent panic (anxiety) attacks, episodes of intense apprehension, fear, or terror associated with somatic symptoms such as dyspnea, palpitations, dizziness, vertigo, faintness, or shakiness and with psychological symptoms such as feelings of unreality (depersonalization or derealization) or fears of dying, going crazy, or losing control; there is usually chronic nervousness and tension between attacks.

Paranoia - An intense and strongly defended irrational suspicion that can not be modified by facts or reality. Mental state that includes unreasonable suspicions of people and situations. A person who is paranoid may be suspicious, hostile, feel very important, or may become extremely sensitive to rejection by others.

Paranoid ideation - Ideation, of less than delusional proportions, involving suspiciousness or the belief that one is being harassed, persecuted, or unfairly treated.

Paranoid personality disorder - Personality disorder marked by suspiciousness, envy, extreme jealousy and stubbornness. Not the same as Paranoid Schizophrenia.

Paranoid schizophrenia - A form of schizophrenia characterized by delusions (of persecution or grandeur or jealousy); symptoms may include anger and anxiety and aloofness and doubts about gender identity; unlike other types of schizophrenia the patients are usually presentable and (if delusions are not acted on) may function in an apparently normal manner.

Parapraxes - See Freudian Slips

Paraprofessional - Individual who has been trained in mental health services, but not at the professional level.

Parasympathetic nervous system - Division of the nervous system that controls most of the basic metabolic functions essential for life.

Paresthesia - Exceptional sensations, such as tingling.

Parietal lobe - An area located in the uppermost section of the brain. Important in processing information about temperature, taste, touch and movement.

Passive-aggressive behavior - Indirect expression of anger.

Passive-aggressive personality disorder - Personality disorder marked by passively expressed aggressiveness.

Pedophilia - Sexual variant in which an adult engages in or desires sexual relations with a child.

Perception - Mental processes by which intellectual, sensory, and emotional data are organized logically and meaningfully.

Peripheral nervous system - Nerve fibers passing between the central nervous system and the sense organs, muscles, and glands.

Persecutory delusion - A delusion in which the central theme is that one (or someone to whom one is close) is being attacked, harassed, cheated, persecuted, or conspired against.

Perseveration - Persistent continuation of a line of thought, speech or activity once it is under way and past the point that it may serve a function. Clinically, inappropriate repetition, usually associated with brain damage. For example: what day is it? Monday, what time is it? Monday. Often seen in organic disorders.

Personality - Enduring patterns of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and oneself.

Personality disorder - A group of maladaptive behavioral syndromes originating in the developmental years. A deeply ingrained and maladjusted pattern of behavior that persists for many years. It is usually well established in later adolescence or early adulthood. The abnormality of behavior is serious enough to cause suffering either to the person involved or to other people.  Same as Character Disorder.

Personality trait - Characteristic of an individual that can be observed and measured. Personality traits are prominent aspects of personality that are exhibited in a wide range of important social and personal contexts. Only when personality traits are inflexible and maladaptive and cause either significant functional impairment or subjective distress do they constitute a Personality Disorder.

Perversion - Deviation from normal.

PET scan - See Positron Emission Tomography

Petit mal - Relatively mild form of epilepsy involving a temporary partial lapse of consciousness.

Phenothiazines - The largest of the 5 main classes of antipsychotic drugs. Although these drugs are generally effective, there are often serious side-effects including Parkinsonism and sedation (especially in the early stages of treatment).

Phobia - An irrational fear. The fear is out of proportion of the reality of the threat. The person may realize its irrationality but not be able to dispel it.

Physical restraints - Any manual method or mechanical devise to inhibit free movement.

Physiological dependence - Type of drug dependence involving withdrawal symptoms when drug is discontinued.

Plasticity - The change of brain structure or function as the result of experience or practice.

Play therapy - An intervention that allows a person to symbolically express feelings through the medium of play.

Pleasure principle - A tendency to seek immediate gratification of impulses and tension reduction.

Polydrug abuse - The pathological use of more than one drug.

Polypharmacy - Taking of more than one drug at any given time.

Positive Symptoms - Reflect an excess or distortion of normal functions. Includes delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior.

Positron emission tomography (PET) - A noninvasive procedure that maps brain structure and function by looking at the distribution of radioactively labeled substances.  PET scanning is used as a research tool in schizophrenia, cerebral palsy, and similar types of brain damage.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - A disorder characterized by residual symptoms following traumatic experience.

Postural Hypotension - Also known as orthostatic hypotension, it is characterized by low blood pressure that can cause dizziness and fainting after standing or sitting up quickly. Sometimes an early side-effect when starting some psychotropic medicines.

Posturing - Inappropriate or bizarre bodily posture adopted continuously over a sustained period.

Postvention - A strategy or approach that is implemented after a crisis or traumatic event has occurred.

Poverty of speech - Speech that is brief and uncommunicative. Tends to occur in severe depressive states The inability to start or take part in a conversation, particularly "small talk." This is a very common symptom in schizophrenia and prevents people with this condition from taking part in many social activities.

Precipitating cause - The particular stress that triggers a disorder.

Predisposition - Likelihood that an individual will develop certain symptoms under given stress conditions. Tendency to develop a certain disease.

Premorbid - Existing prior to onset of mental disorder.

Pressured speech - Forceful energy heard in a manic individual’s frantic, jumbled speech as he or she struggles to keep pace with racing thoughts. Speech is increased in amount, accelerated, and difficult or impossible to interrupt. Usually it is also loud and emphatic. Frequently the person talks without any social stimulation and may continue to talk even though no one is listening.

Prevention - A strategy or approach that reduces the likelihood of risk of onset, or delays the onset of adverse health problems, or reduces the harm resulting from conditions or behaviors.

Primary cause - Cause without which a disorder would not have occurred.

Primary prevention - Establishing conditions designed to prevent occurrence of mental disorders.

Problem drinker - Behavioral term referring to one who has serious problems associated with drinking.

Prodrome - An early or premonitory sign or symptom of a disorder.

Prognosis - Prediction as to the probable course and outcome of a disorder.

Projection - A defense mechanism in which individual attributes unacceptable desires and impulses to others.

Projective identification - Once projection has occurred, fear of the person who is the object of the projection is coupled with a desire to control the person.

Projective tests - Psychological diagnostic tests in which the test material is unstructured so that any response will reflect a projection of some aspect of the subject's underlying personality and psychopathology.

Protective factors - Factors that make it less likely that individuals will develop a disorder. Protective factors can be biological, psychological or social factors.

Pseudodementia - A syndrome in which dementia is mimicked or caricatured by a functional psychiatric illness, for example depression. Symptoms and response of mental status examination questions are similar to those found in dementia.

Psychiatrist - A medical doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders.

Psychiatry - Field of medicine concerned with understanding, assessing, treating and prevention of mental disorders.

Psycho-educational therapy - A strategy of teaching clients and their families about disorders, treatments, coping techniques, and resources.

Psychogenic - Of psychological origin; originating in the psychological functioning of the individual; physical conditions affected by psychological factors.

Psychogenic amnesia - The loss of memory for an event or period of time that contains overwhelming anxiety and pain. The loss of memory is related to psychological stress.

Psychological test - Standard procedure designed to measure a person’s performance on a specified task.

Psychomotor - Involving both psychological and physical activity.

Psychomotor agitation - The constant movement such as pacing, nail biting, smoking, foot- or finger tapping to relieve tension.

Psychomotor retardation - Slowing down of psychological and physical activity; extremely slow and difficult movements that in the extreme can lead to complete inactivity and incontinence.

Psychopathology - Mental disorder

Psychopharmacological drug - Drug used in treatment of a mental disorder.

Psychosis - Any major mental disorder that involves change of personality and loss of contact with reality. This usually includes delusions and/or hallucinations. Severe psychological disorder involving loss of contact with reality and gross personality distortion. Impairment in reality testing as evidence by hallucinations or delusions.

Psychosocial - Pertaining to interpersonal interactions and relations that influence the individual’s development and/or behavior.

Psychosocial rehabilitation - The development of skills necessary for people with mental illness to live independently.

Psychosomatic disorders - Physical symptoms, which may involve actual tissue damage, resulting from continued emotional mobilization under stress.

Psychotropic - Affecting the mind.

Psychotropic drugs - Drugs that have an effect on psychic function, behavior or experience.

Pyramidal nervous system - Term applied to descending motor pathways from the brain that provide the nerve supply to different muscle groups.

A ~ B ~ C ~ D ~ E ~ F ~ G ~ H ~ I ~ J-L ~ M-O ~ P ~ R ~ S ~ T ~ U-W

Back to Top