California Psychiatric Technician flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

5150 hold duration

An involuntary detention for evaluation and treatment lasts up to 72 hours, excluding weekends and holidays, and requires documentation of danger to self, danger to others, or grave disability.

Grave disability definition

A condition in which a mental disorder leaves a person unable to provide for basic personal needs for food, clothing, or shelter, as defined in California welfare law.

Least restrictive intervention

The practice of choosing the intervention that limits a client's freedom least while still maintaining safety, progressing from verbal de-escalation to restraint only when necessary.

Mandated reporter duty

A psychiatric technician must report known or reasonably suspected abuse of children, elders, or dependent adults to the designated agency within legally specified timeframes.

Informed consent elements

Valid consent requires the client to receive information about the nature, risks, benefits, and alternatives of treatment, to comprehend it, and to decide voluntarily.

Restraint monitoring requirements

During restraint or seclusion, staff must monitor respiration, circulation, skin integrity, hydration, and toileting at intervals set by regulation and document each check.

Objective charting standard

Documentation records observable behavior, direct quotes, times, and interventions rather than opinions or labels such as manipulative or attention-seeking.

Confidentiality exception: danger

Patient information may be disclosed without consent when necessary to prevent a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public.

Therapeutic communication technique

Using open-ended questions, reflection, restatement, and silence encourages the client to express feelings and supports a nonjudgmental therapeutic relationship.

Active listening components

Active listening includes full attention, eye contact, nodding, paraphrasing the client's message, and clarifying meaning without interrupting or changing the subject.

Transference in therapy

Transference occurs when a client unconsciously redirects feelings originally held toward an important figure onto the technician or another caregiver.

Countertransference reaction

Countertransference is the caregiver's emotional response to a client that arises from the caregiver's own past experiences and can distort care.

Defense mechanism: denial

Denial is an unconscious refusal to accept a reality or fact that would cause anxiety, such as rejecting a serious diagnosis.

Defense mechanism: projection

Projection is attributing one's own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or impulses to another person, reducing awareness of the conflict within oneself.

Defense mechanism: rationalization

Rationalization is creating logical explanations to justify behavior or feelings that actually stem from unconscious motives, protecting self-esteem.

Defense mechanism: sublimation

Sublimation is a mature defense in which unacceptable impulses are redirected into socially acceptable activities such as work, art, or athletics.

Anxiety levels

Anxiety ranges from mild (alert, perceptual field broad) to moderate (narrowed focus) to severe (greatly reduced focus) to panic (disorganization, loss of control).

Panic attack intervention

During panic, stay with the client, speak in short simple sentences, reduce stimulation, and guide slow breathing rather than demanding explanations.

Suicide risk assessment

Assess ideation, plan, intent, means, previous attempts, and protective factors; a specific plan with access to means indicates high immediate risk.

Suicide precautions protocol

High-risk clients require close observation intervals, removal of hazardous items, and environmental checks documented according to unit policy.

Signs of escalating aggression

Clenched fists, pacing, loud speech, glaring, and invasion of personal space signal rising agitation and call for early de-escalation.

De-escalation sequence

Speak calmly, offer choices, reduce environmental stimuli, maintain safe distance, and involve the client in regaining control before physical intervention is considered.

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome signs

NMS presents with high fever, muscle rigidity, altered mental status, and autonomic instability; it is a medical emergency requiring immediate reporting.

Tardive dyskinesia features

Tardive dyskinesia involves involuntary movements of the tongue, lips, face, and jaw, often appearing after prolonged antipsychotic use and requiring reporting.

Extrapyramidal symptoms

EPS includes dystonia, akathisia, pseudoparkinsonism, and tardive dyskinesia, which are movement side effects of antipsychotic medications.

Lithium toxicity indicators

Lithium toxicity causes coarse tremor, vomiting, diarrhea, confusion, and ataxia; therapeutic serum levels are typically 0.6 to 1.2 mEq/L.

Serotonin syndrome signs

Serotonin syndrome presents with agitation, hyperthermia, clonus, hyperreflexia, and diaphoresis, often after combining serotonergic medications.

Anticholinergic side effects

Anticholinergic effects include dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation, urinary retention, and tachycardia; older adults are especially vulnerable to confusion.

Delirium versus dementia

Delirium has an acute onset with fluctuating attention and consciousness, while dementia shows gradual, progressive cognitive decline with stable consciousness.

Withdrawal precautions: alcohol

Alcohol withdrawal can cause tremor, seizures, and delirium tremens; monitor vital signs and report early signs for prompt medical treatment.

Milieu therapy principle

The treatment environment is structured to promote safety, reality testing, social interaction, and client participation in daily decision-making.

Boundary crossing versus violation

A boundary crossing is a minor, sometimes therapeutic deviation from usual practice, while a violation exploits the client and harms the therapeutic relationship.