Science / Psychiatry Glossary

Paranoia: (par-a-noy-a) A 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 . . . View Full Definition

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

Paranoid Type Schizophrenia: Presence of prominent delusions and auditory hallucinations in an individual, where disorganized speech, disorganized behavior, or flat/inappropriate affect may not be prominent.

Parasomnia: Abnormal behavior or physiological events occurring during sleep or sleep-wake transitions.

Pareidolia: vivid imagery that occurs whilst looking at a poorly structured background

Parkinsonism: (par-kin-son-izm) A group of symptoms including loss of movement, a lack of facial expression, stiff gait when walking, tremor, or stooped posture. These symptoms are sometimes side-effects . . . View Full Definition

Parkinsons Disease: A disease mostly affecting middle-aged and elderly people characterized by tremors and rigid, slow movement.

Passivity Phenomena: delusional belief that an external agency is controlling the aspects of oneself that are usually under ones own control, e.g. though alienation, made feelings, made impulses, made actions an . . . View Full Definition

Pavolovian Conditioning: Elicitation of a response by a stimulus that normally does not elicit that response. The response is one that is mediated primarily by the autonomic nervous system (such as salivation or a c . . . View Full Definition

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: mental operations carry on past the point that they serve a function e.g. what day is it? Monday, what time is it? Monday. Seen in organic disorders

Personality: Enduring patterns of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and oneself. Personality traits are prominent aspects of personality that are exhibited in a wide range of im . . . View Full Definition

Personality Disorder: 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 se . . . View Full Definition

Phallic Stage: The period, from about 21/2 to 6 years, during which sexual interest, curiosity, and pleasurable experience in boys center on the penis, and in girls, to a lesser extent, the clitoris.

Phobia: persistent irrational fear of an activity or object. This leads to avoidance. The fear is out of proportion of the reality of the threat

Piblokto: A culture specific syndrome of Eskimos involving attacks of screaming, crying, and running naked through the snow

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): (poz-ih-tron e-mish-en toe-mog-ra-fe) A technique used to evaluate the activity of brain tissues. PET scanning is used as a research tool in schizophrenia, cerebral palsy, and similar types . . . View Full Definition

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27