Glossary

Author: Glossary

  • Isocarboxazid

    A nonselective and irreversible monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MORI) antidepressant medication used for the treatment of depression and anxiety with or without agoraphobia. Marketed under the brand name marplan.  

  • Ismelin

    Former brand name for the discontinued antihypertensive drug guanethidine.  

  • Involuntary commitment

    The practice of using legal means to commit a person to a psychiatric hospital against his or her will. In the United States, individuals must be exhibiting behavior that is dangerous to themselves or others in order to be committed; the commitment must be for evaluation only, and a court order must be received for…

  • Invega

    Brand name for an extended-release formulation of the atypical antipsychotic drug paliperidone.  

  • Intuniv

    Brand name for extended-release formulation of the alpha2-aadrenergic receptor agonist drug guanfacine.  

  • Introversion

    Preoccupation with oneself and accompanying reduction of interest in the outside world. Contrast with extraversion. Also used to indicate shyness and decreased sociability. An energy trait directed toward one’s own inner world of thoughts and feelings. A condition in which a person is excessively interested in himself or herself and his or her own mental…

  • Introspection

    Self-observation or the examination of one’s feelings, often as a result of psychotherapy. The process of examining one’s own thoughts and feelings. A detailed and sometimes obsessive mental self-examination of feelings, thoughts and motives. The observation of one’s own thoughts or feelings. The term is generally applied to this process when it occurs to an…

  • Introjection

    A defense mechanism, operating unconsciously, whereby loved or hated external objects are symbolically absorbed within oneself. The converse of projection. May serve as a defense against conscious recognition of intolerable hostile impulses. For example, in severe depression, the individual may unconsciously direct unacceptable hatred or aggression toward herself or himself. Related to the more primitive…

  • Intrapsychic

    That which takes place within the psyche or mind. Having a mental origin or basis, such as conflicts and complexes.  

  • Phencyclidine (PCP)

    Recent use of PCP or a related substance may induce belligerence, assaultiveness, impulsiveness, unpredictability, and impaired judgment. The physical signs may include hypertension or a very rapid heartbeat, numbness or diminished responsiveness to pain, ataxia, muscle rigidity, or seizures. An nmda receptor antagonist developed in the 1950s as an intravenous anesthetic. PCP is capable of…