Glossary

Author: Glossary

  • Metapsychology

    The branch of theoretical or speculative psychology that deals with the significance of mental processes; the nature of the mind-body relationship; the origin, purpose, and structure of the mind; and similar hypotheses that are beyond the realm of empirical verification.    

  • Metapsychiatry

    The interface between psychiatry and psychic phenomena such as parapsychology, mysticism, altered states of consciousness, and nonmedical healing.  

  • Metadate

    Brand name for the central nervous system (CNS) stimulant drug methylphenidate.  

  • Mesoridazine

    An older conventional antipsychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. mesoridazine (including all generic and brand [serentil] products) was withdrawn from the U.S. market in 2004 because of its association with dangerous cardiac effects. An antipsychotic drug.  

  • Mesmerism

    Early term for hypnosis. Named after German physician Franz Anton Mesmer (1734–1815). Associated with theories of “animal magnetism” that were formulated by Anton Mesmer hypnosis. Hypnosis based on the ideas of the 18th-century physician Franz Mesmer, sometimes employing magnets and a variety of other equipment. Originally Mesmer’s theory of animal magnetism, mesmerism now means therapeutics…

  • Mescaline

    Mescaline

    An alkaloid originally derived from the peyote cactus, resembling amphetamine and adrenaline (epinephrine) chemically; used to induce altered perceptions. Also used by native americans of the southwest in religious rites. The chief psychoactive chemical found in peyote. Hallucinogenic drug that comes from the peyote cactus. Psychoactive alkaloid derived from a cactus (Lophophora williamsii) that produces…

  • Meridia

    Former brand name for the withdrawn appetite suppressant drug sibutramine.  

  • Meprobamate

    A nonbenzodiazepine sedative-hypnotic medication used to treat anxiety disorders or for the short-term relief of anxiety symptoms. Now available only as generic but may still be known by the discontinued brand names equanil and miltown. Sedative and tranquilizer used to treat anxiety and muscle tension. Adverse effects include drowsiness, ataxia, allergic reactions, and interaction with…

  • Mental status examination

    The process of estimating psychological and behavioral function by observing the patient, eliciting his or her self-description, and using formal questioning. Included in the examination are 1) assessment of any psychiatric condition present, including provisional diagnosis and prognosis, determination of degree of impairment, suitability for treatment, and indications for particular types of therapeutic intervention; 2)…

  • Mental status

    The level and style of functioning of the psyche, including a person’s intellectual functioning and emotional, attitudinal, psychological, and personality aspects and the relationships between them. The term is commonly used to refer to the results of the examination of the patient’s mental state. The functional state of the mind as judged by the individual’s…