Author: Glossary

A severe form of epilepsy with developmental delays and behavioral disturbances. Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) is a severe form of epilepsy. The syndrome consists of the following primary characteristics: multiple types of seizures (e.g., tonic, atonic, myoclonic, and atypical absence), a diffuse spike, or poly-spike, slow waves (< 2.0 Hz) pattern on electroencephalogram (EEG), and severe mental…

In dsm-iv-tr, this is a major group of infancy, childhood, and adolescence disorders that includes reading disorder, mathematics disorder, and disorder of written expression. Formerly known as academic skills disorders. One of a variety of disorders characterized by difficulty reading, writing, or using mathematical symbols that is two standard deviations below the norm for one’s…

A condition in which a person attempts to establish and maintain contact with another by adopting a helpless, powerless stance. A condition created by exposure to inescapable aversive events retards or prevents learning in subsequent situations in which escape or avoidance is possible. A passive fatalistic behavior that one cannot influence one’s environment, or alter…

The hidden (i.e., unconscious) meaning of thoughts or actions, especially in dreams or fantasies. In dreams, it is expressed in distorted, disguised, condensed, and symbolic form. Contrast with manifest content. In psychoanalytic theory, repressed wishes that are indirectly expressed in the manifest content of dreams. In psychoanalysis, that part of a dream or unconscious mental…

A developmental phase extending from age 6–7 to age 10–11 years, originally identified by Freud as the period between the oedipal phase and puberty, distinguished by quiescence in regard to libidinal and aggressive drive. The period of time between the administration of a drug and the beginning of a response. State of being concealed, delayed,…

The term is of malaysian or indonesian origin, but the syndrome has been found in many parts of the world. In malaysia, latah is more common in middle-aged women. It presents as hypersensitivity to sudden fright, often with echolalia, echopraxia, command obedience, and dissociative or trancelike behavior. Other terms for this condition are amurakh, irkunii,…

A slip of the tongue due to unconscious factors.  

A severe form of mixed receptiveexpressive language disorder accompanied by seizures and other central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction. Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS)—also called acquired epileptiform aphasia, infantile acquired aphasia, or aphasia with convulsive disorder—is a rare, childhood neurological disorder characterized by the sudden or gradual development of aphasia (loss of language) and an abnormal electroencephalogram (EEG).…

An anticonvulsant medication sometimes used in psychiatry to prevent or treat the symptoms of mania and depression in bipolar disorder. Marketed under the brand name lamictal. A drug that helps to control petit mal epilepsy. An antiepileptic drug for the treatment of patients with epilepsy. Lamotrigine, an anticonvulsant medication, is employed either independently or in…

Brand name for the anticonvulsant drug lamotrigine.