Behavioral Science-Terminology

1. Premorbid- preceding the occurrence of symptoms of disease or disorder

2. Prodromal- relating to or denoting the period of initial symptoms before a illness or disorder
manifests
3. Delirium- a condition of severe confusion and rapid changes in brain function; shorter in duration
than dementia
4. Folie a deux- French for madness of two-a psychiatric syndrome in which symptoms of a
delusional belief and hallucinations are transmitted from one individual to another
5. Affect- an observable expression of emotion
6. Labile Affect- a disorder where the patient has excessive displays of emotion, or expresses emotions
that are not congruent with the situation
7. Euthymic Mood- a mood that is moderate and stable-not depressed or manic
8. Dysphoric Mood- a profound state of unease or dissatisfaction with life; opposite of euphoria
9. Alexithymia- a personality construct characterized by the subclinical inability to express, identify,
and describe emotions
10. Hypomania- a mood state characterized by persistent disinhibition and pervasive elevated with or
without irritable mood but generally less severe than full mania
11. La belle indifference- a condition see in a person with a conversion disorder in which they are
unconcerned with the seriousness or implications of their physical symptoms
12. Ambivalence-doubt or being unsure concerning a treatment; the parallel existence of confounding
emotions and outlooks, in direction of the exact same individual, item, affair, or circumstance
13. Abreaction- therapy which pulls regressed/repressed memories into the forefront of ones
consciousness to try to relieve worry and anxiety
14. Acathexis- lack of emotional response to significant memories or actual interactions where such a
response would normally be expected
15. Hyperphagia- abnormal excessive desire to eat and consume food
16. Hypersomnia- extreme excessive sleepiness or excessive sleeping
17. Echopraxia-a disorder characterized by the involuntary copying or imitation of another individuals
action or behavior
18. Cerea Flexibilitas- waxy flexibility; the rigidity of catalepsy that may be overcome by slight external
force, but returns at once, holding the limb firmly in the new position
19. Cataplexy-a sudden but temporary loss of muscle, usually triggered by some intense emotions such
as surprise, terror, anger, or laughter
20. Compulsion-a recurrent, unwanted, and distressing (ego-dystonic) urge to perform an act
21. Satyriasis-pathologic or exaggerated sexual desire in the male
22. Astasia -- abasia-motor incoordination with an inability to stand or walk despite normal ability to
move the legs when sitting or lying down, a form of hysterical ataxia
23. Coprophagia-the ingestion of feces
24. Dystonia-impairment of muscular tonus
25. Psychosis-Psychosis is a symptom or feature of mental illness typically characterized by radical
changes in personality, impaired functioning, and a distorted or nonexistent sense of objective
reality.
26. Neologism- a newly coined word or expression
27. Circumstantiality- indirect speech that is delayed in reaching the point but eventually reaches the
desired goal; over-inclusion of details / parenthetical remarks.
28. Tangentiality- inability to have goal directed associations of thought; speaker never gets to desired
goal
29. Perseveration- persisting response to a previous stimulus after a new stimulus has been presented;
as in cognitive disorders.
30. Echolalia- meaningless repetition of another persons spoken words
31. Clang Association- association of words similar in sound, but not in meaning; words have no logical
connection; may include rhyming and punning.
32. Delusion- fixed belief that is resistant to change despite argument or data being present that would
normally be expected to change it
33. Hypochondria- excessive preoccupation or worry about having a serious illness
34. Obsession- an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a persons mind.
35. Xenophobia- fear or dislike of foreigners or in general of people different from one's self
36. Hallucination- a perception in the absence of apparent stimulus which has qualities of real
perception
37. Prosopagnosia- the ability to recognize faces is impaired
38. Apraxia- neurological disorder characterized by loss of the ability to execute or carry out learned
purposeful movements, despite having the desire and the physical ability to perform the movements
39. Dj vu- illusion of visual recognition in which a new situation is incorrectly regarded as a
repetition of a previous memory
40. Pseudodementia- exhibit symptoms consistent with dementia but the cause is a pre-existing
psychiatric illness rather than a degenerative one; most often caused by depression
41. Dementia- organic and global deterioration of intellectual functioning without clouding of
consciousness.
42. Alexia- the inability to read words resulting damage to the brain
43. Fugue- a state or period of loss of awareness of one's identity, often coupled with flight from one's
usual environment, associated with certain forms of hysteria and epilepsy
44. Depersonalization- feeling of detached from or outside of oneself; watching oneself while having no
control
45. Dissociation- disruption in the usually integrated functions of consciousness, memory, identity, or
perception of the environment
46. Confabulation- a memory disturbance in which a person confuses imagined scenarios with actual
memories with no intent to deceive