Glossary – P
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PADUIA – Pennsylvania Driving Under the Influence Association
PAC – Political Action Committee
PACDAA – Pennsylvania Association of County Drug and Alcohol Administrators
PACHIP – Pennsylvania Children’s Health Insurance Program
PACSHA – Pennsylvania Association of County Human Services Administrators
PACT – Program for Assertive Community Treatment
PADOHRIC – Pennsylvania Department of Health Research and Information Center
PAE – Pennsylvania Adoption Exchange
Panda – Prevent Abuse and Neglect Through Dental Awareness
Panic Disorder – Characterized by panic attacks that occur at least once a week. A panic attack is a brief (5 to 20 minute) episode of intense anxiety that is usually accompanied by physical symptoms, such as rapid heart beat, sweating, chest pain and nausea. Panic attacks can occur in any anxiety disorder, usually in response to the focus of that disorder.
PAPSRS – Pennsylvania Association of Psychological Rehabilitation Services
PARF – Pennsylvania Association of Rehabilitation Facilities
PASAP – Pennsylvania Association of Student Assistance
Pastoral Counseling – Counselors working within traditional faith communities to incorporate psychotherapy, and/or medication, with prayer and spirituality to effectively help some people with mental disorders.
PATH – Projects for Assistance in Transition From Homelessness
PCBH – Personal Care Boarding Home
PCCD – Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency
PCCM – Primary Care Case Manager
PCCYFS – Pennsylvania Commission of Children, Youth and Family Services
PCH – Personal Care Homes
PDA – Pennsylvania Department of Aging
PDDC – Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Coalition
PDE – Pennsylvania Department of Education
Peer Specialist Services – Specialized services which focus on recovery and are delivered by trained individuals who are self-identified as current or former consumers of behavioral health services.
PEN – Parent Education Network
PEPS – Program Evaluation Performance Standards
PERP – Perpetrator of Child Abuse or Child Sexual Abuse
Pertussis (Whooping Cough) – A highly contagious infection caused by the bacterium Bordetella Pertussis, which results in fits of coughing that usually end in a prolonged, high-pitched, deeply indrawn breath (the whoop). People can develop Pertussis at any age, but one third of causes occur in children younger than two years, and one third occur in adolescents 11 to 18 years of age.
PFAD – Protection From Abuse Database
PFAPA Syndrome (periodic fevers with aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and adenitis) – Causes recurrent episodes of fever that last 3 to 6 days, mouth sores (stomatitis), a sore throat (pharyngitis), and swollen lymph glands (adenitis). It typically starts between ages 2 and 5 years, and children typically tend to outgrow the syndrome.
Phobic Disorders – Disorders that cause extreme and irrational anxiety when encountering particular situations, objects or activities.
PHLP – Pennsylvania Health Law Project
PH-MCO – Physical Health Managed Care Organization
PHP – Prepaid Health Plan (Managed Care)
PI – Physical Intervention
PIN – Parents Involved Network
PIP – Program Improvement Plan
Play Therapy – Geared toward young children, play therapy uses a variety of activities such as painting, puppets and dioramas to establish communication with the therapist and resolve problems.
PLCB – Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board
PLF – Private Licensed Facility
PHMCA – Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers Association
PMPM – Per Member Per Month
PMU – Psychiatric Medical Unit
PNP – Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
POA – Power of Attorney
POC – Plan of Care
POS – Point of Service (Managed Care Term)
POSNET – Pennsylvania Open Systems Network
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – Causes recurring, intrusive memories of an overwhelming traumatic event as well as emotional numbness and increased tension of alertness. The disorder may develop after children witness or experience an act of violence, causing them to re-experience the event, causing them to feel emotionally numb, extremely tense, and jittery.
Primary Care Provider (PCP) – Generally coordinates, supervises, and provides mental care to members of a plan. May include a family practitioner, general internist, pediatrician, and sometimes an ob/gyn.
PRN – “When Necessary”: Used in the administration of medication
Program quality indicator – Program characteristics or practices that provide evidence of the ability of the adult education program to deliver services, to satisfy customer (learner or employer) needs and aspirations, to continuously improve, and to be accountable.
PRS – Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services
PRTF – Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility
PSFPA – Pennsylvania State Foster Parent Association
PSP – Pennsylvania State Police
Psychiatric Nurses – Core mental health professionals who have earned a Masters degree in Psychiatric Nursing and typically have extensive training in psychopharmacology and counseling.
Psychiatric Social Worker – Social worker specializing in work with psychiatric patients and their families.
Psychoanalyst – A person who diagnoses and treats emotional disorders through special techniques that explore a patient’s mental and emotional history and makeup.
Psychosis – A general term used to describe any of several mental disorders characterized by social withdrawal, distortions of reality, loss of contact with environment and disintegration of personality.
PT – Physical Therapy or Physical Therapist