Author: Glossary

An elongated, curved mass located within the basal ganglia, the caudate nucleus is an important component of the brain’s learning and memory system, particularly during feedback processing. There is a caudate nucleus within each hemisphere of the brain. A comma-shaped mass of gray matter forming part of the corpus striatum. It is part of the…

A nationwide public health–focused clinical trial that compared the effectiveness of “first generation” (introduced in the 1950s) and “second generation” (available since the 1990s) antipsychotic medications. Phase i of catie analyzed the economic implications of antipsychotic treatment and concluded that the older conventional antipsychotic perphenazine was less expensive and no less effective than the newer…

Attachment, conscious or unconscious, of emotional feeling and significance to an idea, an object, or, most commonly, a person. In transference, patients withdraw their cathexis (or investment) from past figures and reinvest it in the clinician as a new figure. An investment or an object, idea, or action that has special significance or effect for…

The healthful (therapeutic) release of ideas through “talking out” conscious material accompanied by an appropriate emotional reaction. Also, the release into awareness of repressed (“forgotten”) material from the unconscious. A form of emotional release resulting from talking out problems with the aid of a therapist, as applied to psychology. A sudden, often overpowering outpouring of…

An enzyme that degrades and inactivates catecholamines such as dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. Comt is also important in the metabolism of levodopa (l-dopa), a precursor of dopamine used in the treatment of parkinson’s disease. Comt inhibitors such as entacapone (comtan) inhibit degradation of levodopa, permitting greater and more sustained levels of levodopa to penetrate the…

A geographic area for which a mental health program or facility has responsibility for its residents. A geographic area defined and served by a health program or institution such as a hospital or community mental health center. Delineated on the basis of such factors as population distribution, natural geographic boundaries, and transportation accessibility. Should be…

Catatonic symptoms such as motoric immobility (e.g., catalepsy, cerea flexibilitas), extreme agitation, extreme negativism (e.g., rigidity of posture), and peculiarities of voluntary movement (e.g., inappropriate or bizarre posturing, stereotyped movements, prominent mannerisms) occur because of a general medical condition. This diagnosis emphasizes that catatonic symptoms are not confined to schizophrenic disorders.  

Marked motor abnormalities, generally limited to those occurring as part of a psychotic disorder. This term includes catatonic excitement (apparently purposeless agitation not influenced by external stimuli), stupor (decreased reactivity and fewer spontaneous movements, often with apparent unawareness of the surroundings), negativism (apparent motiveless resistance to instructions or attempts to be moved), posturing (the person’s…

Immobility with muscular rigidity or inflexibility and, at times, excitability. A condition characterized by varying degrees of withdrawal with the person becoming unresponsive to stimuli with possible immobility. A condition in which a psychiatric patient is either motionless or shows violent reactions to stimulation. Syndrome in which motor behavior is disturbed, usually characterized by body…