Glossary

Author: Glossary

  • Cannabis

    Maladaptive behavioral or psychological changes include impaired motor coordination, euphoria, anxiety, suspiciousness, sensation of slowed time, impaired judgment, and social withdrawal. Physical signs may include increased appetite, dry mouth, and very rapid heartbeat. Marijuana or any preparation from the hemp plant. A drug made from the dried leaves or flowers of the Indian hemp plant.…

  • Caffeine

    Caffeine

    Typical symptoms include restlessness, nervousness, excitement, insomnia, and psychomotor agitation. Accompanying physical signs include flushed face, muscle twitching, and rambling speech. A plant alkaloid which acts as a stimulant, found in coffee, cola and tea. It increases pulse rate, accelerates heart action and may cause high blood pressure. A xanthine (Greek meaning yellow). There are…

  • Intoxication

    Poisoning. The acute effects of overdosage with chemical substances. Characteristically, intoxication with substances of abuse produces behavioral or psychological changes because of their effects on the central nervous system (CNS). Such changes may be expressed as belligerence, differences in mood, or impaired judgment. The adverse physiological effects of an organism of consuming a toxic substance.…

  • Interpretation

    The process by which the therapist helps patients understand a particular aspect of their problems or behavior. The act by the therapist of reforming the views of the client so that they may be looked at by the client in a new way, thus gaining insight into the causes of the mental health issue. In…

  • Interpersonal skills

    Effective adaptive behavior in relation to other persons.  

  • Interpersonal (psycho)therapy (IPT)

    A form of brief (12–15 weeks) psychotherapy originally developed by psychiatrist gerald klerman (1928–1992), psychologist myrna weissman, and colleagues for the treatment of depression in which the focus is on four interpersonal problem areas often associated with its onset: grief, role disputes, role transitions, and interpersonal deficits. The focus of the therapy is on current…

  • Internship

    The first year of graduate medical education, which ordinarily is integrated into a full residency training program in a designated specialty. Currently, PGY-1 or PG1 (first postgraduate training year) tends to be the preferred term. A period of study for medical students that provides for the practice of medicine within a hospital setting under the…

  • International classification of sleep disorders (ICSD)

    Current nosology of sleep disorders published by the american academy of sleep medicine (AASM) in association with the european sleep research society, the japanese society of sleep research, and the latin american sleep society.  

  • Intermittent explosive disorder (IED)

    An impulse-control disorder consisting of aggressive outbursts (e.g., assaultiveness or destruction of property) that are out of proportion to any evident stressors. Often the behavior is completely uncharacteristic of the person, who does not show this behavior between episodes. In many cases, however, this aggressiveness is expressed in less explosive ways between episodes. A personality…

  • Interictal behavior syndrome

    Sometimes termed temporal lobe epileptic personality, this syndrome manifests as personality changes in three areas: a) sexuality, such as sexual paraphilias, conflicts over sexual preference, or hyposexuality; b) aggressivity, such as aggressive actions, moral indignation, or plans for retaliation for imagined slights; and c) emotions and intellect, such as compulsive writing or drawing (often related…