Science / Psychiatry Glossary

Mental Apparatus: id, ego and superego in psychodynamic terms

Mental Illness: A substantial disorder of thought or mood that significantly impairs judgment, behavior, capacity to recognize reality, or ability to cope with the ordinary demands of life. It may be due to . . . View Full Definition

Micropsia: The visual perception that objects are smaller than they actually are.

Middle Insomnia: Awakening in the middle of the night followed by eventually falling back to sleep, but with difficulty.

Mirroring: 1) The empathic responsiveness of the parent to the developing childs grandiose-exhibitionistic needs. Parental expressions of delight in the childs activities signal that the childs wishes . . . View Full Definition

Monomania: pathological preoccupation with a single object

Mood: A pervasive and sustained emotion that colors the perception of the world. Common examples of mood include depression, elation, anger, and anxiety. In contrast to affect, which refers to mor . . . View Full Definition

Mood-Congruent Psychotic Features: Delusions or hallucinations whose content is entirely consistent with the typical themes of a depressed or manic mood. If the mood is depressed, the content of the delusions or hallucination . . . View Full Definition

Motor Neuron: (mo-tor nur-on) A nerve cell in the spine that causes action in a muscle.

Mutism: total loss of speech

Negative Symptoms: Most commonly refers to a group of symptoms characteristic of schizophrenia that include loss of fluency and spontaneity of verbal expression, impaired ability to focus or sustain attention . . . View Full Definition

Negativism: motiveless resistance to commands and attempts to be moved

Neologism: In psychiatry, a new word or condensed combination of several words coined by a person to express a highly complex idea not readily understood by others; seen in schizophrenia and organic me . . . View Full Definition

Neuroleptic Medications: Medications used in the treatment of schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses. Alternative term for antipsychotics – usually applied to typical/conventional antipsychotics.

Neuroleptics: (nur-o-lep-tiks) Medications with an antipsychotic effect that are used in the treatment of schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses. (Also known as antipsychotics.)

Neurosis: a disorder in which the individual has insight into the illness and they can distinguish between subjective experience and external reality

Neurotransmitter: (nur-o-trans-mit-er) Molecules that carry chemical messages between nerve cells. Neurotransmitters are released from neurons, diffuse across the minute space between cells (synaptic cleft), . . . View Full Definition

Nihilistic Delusion: delusional belief that oneself, or others or the world does not exist or is about to cease to exist

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