Science / Psychiatry Glossary

Postural Hypotension: (pos-cher-al hi-po-ten-shun) Also known as orthostatic hypotension, it is characterized by low blood pressure which can cause dizziness and fainting after standing or sitting up quickly. Som . . . View Full Definition

Posturing: inappropriate or bizarre bodily posture adopted continuously over a sustained period

Poverty Of Speech: 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 . . . View Full Definition

Preconscious: Thoughts that are not in immediate awareness but that can be recalled by conscious effort.

Pregenital: In psychoanalysis, refers to the period of early childhood before the genitals have begun to exert the predominant influence in the organization or patterning of sexual behavior. Oral and an . . . View Full Definition

Pressured Speech: Speech that 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 an . . . View Full Definition

Primary Delusion: delusion arriving fully formed without any discernable connection with previous events

Primary Gain: The relief from emotional conflict and the freedom from anxiety achieved by a defense mechanism. Contrast with secondary gain.

Primary Process: In psychoanalytic theory, the generally unorganized mental activity characteristic of the unconscious. This activity is marked by the free discharge of energy and excitation without regard t . . . View Full Definition

Prodrome: An early or premonitory sign or symptom of a disorder

Projection: A defense mechanism, operating unconsciously, in which what is emotionally unacceptable in the self is unconsciously rejected and attributed (projected) to others.

Projective Identification: A term introduced by Melanie Klein to refer to the unconscious process of projection of one or more parts of the self or of the internal object into another person (such as the mother). What . . . View Full Definition

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 subjects underlying personality and psychopathology

Prolactin: Hormone produced by the pituitary gland in the brain. Stimulates lactation and ovarian function. Excess prolactin release can cause side-effects common to many older antipsychotic agents, in . . . View Full Definition

Prosopagnosia: Inability to recognize familiar faces that is not explained by defective visual acuity or reduced consciousness or alertness.

Pseudocyesis: Included in DSM-IV as one of the somatoform disorders. It is characterized by a false belief of being pregnant and by the occurrence of signs of being pregnant, such as abdominal enlargement . . . View Full Definition

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

Pseudohallucination: form of imagery arising in the subjective inner space and lack the substantiality usual of normal perceptions.

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