Term | Definition |
adjunct | medication used to compliment the effects of another drug. |
antiemetic | a drug that reduces or stops vomiting |
antihypertensive | agent that decreases blood pressure. |
anxiety | condition associated with tension, apprehension, fear and panic. |
anxiolytic | medication used to treat anxiety |
ADHD | brain disorder that affects the ability to focus ones attention |
ayurveda | holistic traditional medical system where the prevention of a disease is emphasized |
bipolar disorder | illness associated with sudden swings in mood betwween depresseion and periods of insomnia, racing thoughts, distractibility and increased goal-direct behavior. |
blood-brain barrier | barried that exists in the brain as a result of special permeability characteristics of capillaries that supply brain cells. these capillaries prevent certain solutes and chemicals from being transferred from the blood to the brain. |
chiropractic | manual maniplulation of the joints and muscles. |
cognition | activities associated with thinking, learning and memory. |
depression | mental state characterized by sadness, feelings of loss and grief, and loss of appetite, may include suicidal thoughts. |
diagnosis | physicians recognition of a condition or diease. |
drug dependence | continuing to take the drug in order to avoid onset of physical or psychological withdrawal symptoms. |
electroconvulsive therapy | electrical surrent administered to an anesthetized patient, causing a brief seizure. |
enuresis | bedwetting |
extrapyramidal symptoms | excessive muscle movement associated with the use of neuroleptics |
generalized anxiety disorder | condition associated with excessive worrying and tension that is experienced daily for more than 6 months. |
herba; | any plant substance used for health purposes. |
homeopathy | system of therapy based on the belieg that dilutions of medicinal substanced that cause a specific symptom can be used to treat illness |
insomnia | condition characterized by difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. |
major depression | illness associated with persistent feelings of sadness, emptiness or hopelessness that persists. |
mania | mood state characterized by excessive excitement, elevated mood and exalted feelings. |
monoamine oxidase | enzyme found in nerve terminals, neurons, liver and intestines that inactivates specific neurotransmitters and dietary amines. |
mood disorder | affective disorder involiving a change in emotional behavior |
neurosis | mental disorder arising from stress or anxiety in the patients environment without loss of contact with reality. |
neurotransmitters | chemicals that are transmitted from one neuron to another as electrical nerve impluses. |
OCD | condition associated with an inability to control or stop repeated unwanted thoughts or behaviors |
panic disorder | condition associated with repeated sudden onset of feelings of terror. |
phobia | irrational fear of things or situations that produve symptoms of intense anxiety |
placebo | inert compound believed by the patient to be an active agent |
PTSD | disorder that develops in persons who have participated in, witnessed or been a victim of a terrifying event |
prophylaxis | to prevent disease |
psychosis | mental state characterized by disorganized behavior and thought, delusions, hallucinations and loss of touch with reality |
psychotherapy | therapy that includes helping patients work through personal problems that affect emotions and behaviors. |
schizoprenia | types of psychosis characterized by delusions of thought, visual or auditory hallucinations and speech disturbances. |
serotonin syndrome | life threatening adverse drug reaction caused by excessive serotonin that produces symptoms of confusion, agitation, diarrhea, temors, inceased blood pressure and seizures. |
synthetic medicine | medicaition made in a lab from chemical processes. |
tardive dyskinesia | inappropriate psoture of the neck, trunk and limbs accompanied by involuntary thursting of the tongue. |
tolerance | consition occurring when increased doses of a drug are required in order to achieve the same effects as were achieved at lower doses. |