Science / Psychiatry Glossary

Agonist Medication: A chemical entity that is not naturally occuring within the body which acts upon a receptor and is capable of producing the maximal effect that can be produced by stimulating that receptor. . . . View Full Definition

Agoraphobia: literally a fear of the market place. Generally high levels of anxiety and phobic symptoms. May include a fear of crowds, open and closed spaces and travelling by public transport

Agranulocytosis: An acute condition characterised by an abnormally low level of white blood cells, which impairs the body’s ability to fight infection and which therefore has the potential to be fatal. It ca . . . View Full Definition

Agraphia: The loss of a pre-existing ability to express ones self through the act of writing.

AIMS: Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale - an assessment tool designed to measure abnormal movements in different parts of the body that may be caused by drug treatments.

Akathisia: The medical word for extreme restlessness, one complaints of restlessness accompanied by movements such as fidgeting of the legs, rocking from foot to foot, pacing, or inability to sit or st . . . View Full Definition

Akinesia: A state of motor inhibition or reduced voluntary movement.

Akinetic Mutism: A state of apparent alertness with following eye movements but no speech or voluntary motor responses.

Alexia: Loss of a previously intact ability to grasp the meaning of written or printed words and sentences.

Alexithymia: A disturbance in affective and cognitive function that can be present in an assortment of diagnostic entities. The chief manifestations are difficulty in describing or recognizing ones own . . . View Full Definition

Algophobia: Fear of pain.

Alienation: The estrangement felt in a setting one views as foreign, unpredictable, or unacceptable. For example, in depersonalization phenomena, feelings of unreality or strangeness produce a sense of . . . View Full Definition

Alogia: An impoverishment in thinking that is inferred from observing speech and language behavior. There may be brief and concrete replies to questions and restriction in the amount of spontaneous . . . View Full Definition

Ambitendency: series or tentative, incomplete movements carried out when a voluntary action is anticipated.

Ambivalence: The coexistence of contradictory emotions, attitudes, ideas, or desires with respect to a particular person, object, or situation. Ordinarily, the ambivalence is not fully conscious and sug . . . View Full Definition

Amenorrhea: (a-men-o-re-ah) Absence of menstrual periods. This can be a side-effect of antipsychotic medications.

Amentia: Subnormal development of the mind, with particular reference to intellectual capacities; a type of severe mental retardation.

Amimia: A disorder of language characterized by an inability to make gestures or to understand the significance of gestures.

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27