Psykiske

Psykiske is an adjective used in several Scandinavian languages (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish) to denote relation to the mind, mental processes, or psychology. It commonly describes psychological aspects of behavior, mood, cognition, or mental health. In clinical and everyday language, phrases such as psykiske lidelser (mental or psychological disorders), psykiske symptomer (psychological symptoms), or psykiske plager (mental health concerns) are standard. Depending on context, the term can translate to “psychological” in English, while in some contexts it could be interpreted as “psychic,” though the latter sense is rare and typically specified with a different term such as parapsykiske.

Etymology and usage notes: Psykiske derives from the root pyske/psyke meaning mind or soul, combined with the standard Scandinavian adjectival suffixes. The form agrees with the noun it modifies in gender and number, for example psykisk (singular) and psykiske (plural or definite forms). The word is widely used in everyday language, education, journalism, and healthcare to refer to mental phenomena rather than physical ones.

Distinctions: In medical contexts, psykiatrisk refers to psychiatry—the medical discipline handling mental disorders—while psykisk generally covers non-medical or broader psychological aspects. The term is distinct from terms for specific conditions (such as psykisk sjukdom in Swedish equivalents to mental illness). Care should be taken not to conflate psykiske with supernatural or paranormal senses, which would typically be described with terms like parapsykiske.

See also: Psychology, Psychiatry, Mental health, Mental disorder, Parapsychology.