Author: Glossary
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Actualization
Realization of one’s full potential.
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Acting out
Expressions of unconscious emotional conflicts or feelings in actions rather than words. The person is not consciously aware of the meaning of such acts. Acting out may be harmful or, in controlled situations, therapeutic (e.g., children’s play therapy). Refers especially to acting out of transference wishes and emotions. In psychology, manifesting conflicts in overt behavior…
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Actigraphy
A method of monitoring rest/activity cycles. A small actigraph is worn by a patient to measure motor activity. It is used to clinically evaluate insomnia, circadian rhythm sleep disorders, excessive daytime sleepiness, and restless legs syndrome. The monitoring of body movements with a small device usually attached to the wrist or foot, used in sleep…
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Acrophobia
The fear of heights. An irrational, morbid fear of high places. Morbid fear of high places. An abnormal fear of heights. If acrophobia is a symptom of depression or if it interferes with the everyday tasks of living, psychological treatment is recommended.
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Achluophobia
The fear of darkness.
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Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors
A class of medications used in the treatment of alzheimer’s disease (the most common dementing illness in the elderly), other dementias (e.g., Lewy Body Dementia), myasthenia gravis, glaucoma, and anticholinergic poisoning. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors retard the breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which may improve cognition. They are also believed to have an effect on peptide processing,…
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Acculturation difficulty
A problem in adapting to a different culture or environment. The problem is not based on any coexisting mental disorder.
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Acculturation
The socialization process by which minority groups gradually learn and adopt various elements of the dominant culture. The dominant culture is itself transformed by its interaction with minority groups. The process whereby members of a subculture and minorities acquire cultural characteristics such as values, beliefs, language, and acceptable behaviors of the dominant group in the…
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Accreditation
Official certification (by an organization that has responsibility for reviewing the standards) that established standards have been met, such as the process by which hospitals and health facilities are surveyed and approved by The Joint Commission (TJC) (formerly Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations [JCAHO]). A process by which hospitals and health facilities are…
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Accident proneness
Susceptibility to accidents based on psychological causes or motivations, usually unconscious.