Author: Glossary

  • Selegiline

    A selective monoamine oxidase (MAO) b inhibitor (also known as l-deprenyl) used as an adjuvant treatment in the management of parkinson’s disease and, at higher doses (at which it is no longer selective), sometimes used to treat depression refractory to more standard pharmacotherapies. Marketed under the brand name eldepryl. A drug used in conjunction with…

  • Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

    A class of antidepressants used primarily for the treatment of major depressive disorder and many of the anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder. Panic disorder, social phobia, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Clinical trials also have supported the use of SSRIs in the treatment of other mental disorders, including bulimia nervosa, and…

  • Selective mutism

    Selective mutism

    A disorder of infancy, childhood, or adolescence characterized by persistent failure to speak in specific social situations by a child with demonstrated ability to speak. The mutism is not due to lack of fluency in the language being spoken or embarrassment about a speech problem. Also known as elective mutism. According to the fourth edition…

  • Seduction theory

    Freud’s early hypothesis, later abandoned, that the trauma of childhood sexual seduction by adults was the cause of conversion symptoms.  

  • Sedative-, hypnotic-, or anxiolytic-related (or -induced) disorders

    In dsm-iv-tr, a group of mental disorders that includes sedative, hypnotic, or anxiolytic dependence; sedative, hypnotic, or anxiolytic abuse; sedative, hypnotic, or anxiolytic intoxication; sedative, hypnotic, or anxiolytic withdrawal; sedative, hypnotic, or anxiolytic delirium; sedative-, hypnotic-, or anxiolytic-induced withdrawal delirium; sedative-, hypnotic-, or anxiolytic-induced persisting dementia; sedative-, hypnotic-, or anxiolytic-induced persisting amnestic disorder; sedative-, hypnotic-,…

  • Sedative-hypnotic

    A term that denotes overlap in function of a drug with sedative and hypnotic effects. With sedation, a drug may also induce sleepiness, such as with the benzodiazepines. A drug that either induces sedation or sleep, depending upon dosage.  

  • Secondary process

    In psychoanalytic theory, mental activity and thinking characteristic of the ego and influenced by the demands of the environment. Characterized by organization, systematization, intellectualization, and similar processes leading to logical thought and action in adult life. In Freudian theory, behavior that is reality oriented and under the control of the ego.  

  • Secondary gain

    The external gain derived from any illness, such as personal attention and service, monetary gains, disability benefits, and release from unpleasant responsibilities. The advantage gained by the patient indirectly from illness, such as attention, care, and release from responsibility. Rewards associated with adopting a sick role and exhibiting illness behavior. The benefits that a patient…

  • Secondary disorder

    Symptomatic disorder; a mental disorder that is due to a general medical condition or induced by a substance.  

  • Seclusion and restraint statutes

    Regulations governing seclusion and restraint interventions used in the treatment and management of disruptive, self-destructive, and violent behaviors in psychiatry. In the landmark 1982 case Youngberg v. Romeo, the Supreme Court recognized that the use of restraint is a drastic deprivation of personal liberty and that such use should reflect “the exercise of professional judgment.”…