Glossary

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F

Fear

Unpleasant emotional and physiological response to recognised sources of danger, to be distinguished from anxiety.

Flat affect

A state in which there is no emotional expression. Lack of signs of affective expression: the voice may be monotonous, no gesticulation, and the face, immobile.

Flight of ideas

A nearly continuous flow of accelerated speech with abrupt changes from one topic to another, usually based on understandable associations, distracting stimuli, or plays on words. When severe, this may lead to disorganised and incoherent speech.

Documented in the 'thought form/flow' component of the Mental State Examination.

Free floating anxiety

Severe, generalised, persistent anxiety not specifically ascribed to a particular object or event and often a precursor of panic.