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Mental Health
Mental Disorders and treatments
Term | Definition |
---|---|
agor/a | marketplace |
aut/o | self |
centr/o | center |
cycl/o | circle, cycle |
delus/o | to cheat |
neur/o | nerve |
path/o | disease |
phren/o | mind |
psych/o | mind |
schiz/o | to divide |
somat/o | body |
thym/o | mind, emotion |
affect | In psychology, observable evidence of an individual's emotional reaction associated with an experience |
affective disorder | Characterized by a disturbance of mood accompanied by a manic or depressive syndrome; this syndrome is not caused by any other physical or mental disorder |
agoraphobia | An anxiety disorder; agoraphobia involves intense feat and anxiety in any place or situation where escape might be difficult, leading to avoidance of being alone outside of the home; traveling in a car, bus, or airplane; or being in a crowded area |
anorexia nervosa | Complex psychological disorder in which the individual refuses to eat or has an abnormally limited eating pattern |
anxiety | Feeling of uneasiness, apprehension, worry, or dread; involuntary or reflex reaction of the body to stress |
anxiety disorders | Mental disorders that can affect adults and children and are chronic, growing progressively worse if not treated |
apathy | Condition in which a person lacks feelings and emotions and is indifferent |
apperception | Comprehension or assimilation of the meaning and significance of a particular sensory stimulus as modified by an individual's own experiences, knowledge, thoughts, and emotions |
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) | One of the most common childhood disorder, ADHD can continue through adolescence and adulthood. Staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior, and hyperactivity are symptoms |
autism spectrum disorder (ASD) | A new DSM-5 term that reflects a scientific consensus that four previously separate disorders are actually a single condition with different levels of symptom severity |
bipolar disorder | Brain disorder also known as manic-depressive illness that causes unusual shifts in a person's mood, energy, and ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. Characterized by cycling mood changes |
compulsion | Uncontrollable, recurrent, and distressing urge to perform an act in order to relieve fear connected with obsession |
cyclothymic disorder | Mood disorder characterized by alternating moods of elation and depression, similar to bipolar disorder but of milder intensity |
delirium | Characterized by bizarre though that have no basis in reality; a fixed, false belief or abnormal perception held by a person despite evidence to the contrary |
dementia | Problem in the brain that makes it difficult for a person to remember, learn, and communicate and eventually to take care of him or herself |
depression | Mental disorder marked by altered mood and loss of interest in things that are usually pleasurable such as food, sex, work, friends, hobbies, or entertainment |
dysthymia | Less severe type of depression; involves long-term, chronic symptoms that do not disable but keep an individual from functioning well or feeling good |
dissociation | Defense mechanism in which a group of mental processes become separated from normal consciousness and, thus separated, function as a unitary whole |
eating disorders | Disorders that cause serious disturbances to an individual's everyday diet, such as eating extremely small amount of food or severely overeating |
egocentric | Pertaining to being self-centered |
factitious disorder | |
fugue | Dissociative disorder in which amnesia is accompanied by physical flight from customary surroundings. |
generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) | Characterized by much higher levels of anxiety than people normally experience day to day. It is chronic and fills a person's day with exaggerated worry and tension |
hallucination | Process of experiencing sensations that have no source |
hypomania | Abnormal mood of mild mania characterized by hyperactivity, inflated self-esteem, talkativeness, heightened sexual interest, quickness to anger, irritability, and a decreased need for sleep |
impulse control disorder | Mental condition in which the person is unable to resist urges or impulses to perform acts that could be harmful to him- or herself or others |
Pyromania | Compulsion to start fires |
kleptomania | Compulsion to steal |
mania | Mental disorder characterized by excessive excitement; literally means madness |
mood | Pervasive and sustained emotion that plays a key role in an individual's perception of the world |
neurotic | Pertaining to one who has an abnormal emotional or mental disorder |
norepinephrine | Hormone produced by the adrenal medulla that acts as a neurotransmitter |
obsession | Neurotic state in which an individual has a recurrent, persistent thought, image, or impulse that is unwanted and distressing and comes involuntarily to mind despite attempts to resist |
paranoia | Mental disorder characterized by highly exaggerated or unwarranted mistrust or suspiciousness |
personality disorder | Mental disorder characterized by inflexible and maladaptive personality traits that are exhibited across many contexts and deviate markedly from those accepted by individual's culture; often causes problems in work, school or social relationships |
phobia | Morbid and persistent fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that results in a compelling desire to avoid the feared stimulus |
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | Debilitating anxiety disorder that can develop following a terrifying event |
psychiatrist | Physician who specializes in the study and treatment of mental disorders |
psychoanalysis | Method of investigating the mental processes of an individual using the techniques of free association, interpretation, and dream analysis |
psychologist | Study of the mind and behavior, both normal and pathological |
psychopath | Mentally ill individual with an antisocial personality disorder; also called sociopath |
psychosis | Serious, abnormal mental condition in which the individual's mental capacity to recognize reality and communicate with and relate to others is impaired; the person can experience delusions and hullucinations |
psychosomatic | Pertaining to the interrelationship of the mind and the body; a manifestation of physical disease that has a mental origin |
psychotherapy | Method of treating mental disorders by using psychological techniques instead of physical methods; may involve talking, interpreting, listening, rewarding, and role-playing |
psychotropic | Drug that affects psychic function, behavior, or experience |
pyromania | Impulsive disorder consisting of a compulsion to set fires or to watch fires; literally means a madness for fire; person suffering from this disorder receives pleasure and emotional relief from these activities |
schizophrenia | Mental disorder characterized by positive and negative symptoms |
seasonal affective disorder (SAD) | Form of depression that appears related to fluctuations in a person's exposure to natural light; usually strikes during autumn and often continues through the winter when natural light is reduced |
Serotonin | Chemical present in gastrointestinal mucosa, platelets, mast cells, and carcinoid tumors; a vasoconstrictor and a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (CNS); affects sleep and sensory perception |
sexual disorders | Disorders that affect sexual desire, performance, and behavior |
somatoform disorder | Mental disorder, previously known as psychosomatic disorder, in which the person experiences physical symptoms of an illness that are not explained by medical condition or medication |
substance abuse | Misuse of medications, alcohol, or illegal substances |
suicide | Willfully ending one's own life. Associated with changes in brain chemicals, neurotransmitter, including serotonin |
tic disorder | Characterized by spasmodic muscular contractions most commonly involving the face, mouth, eyes, head, neck, or shoulder muscles; tics are of psychological origin |