Glossary

Author: Glossary

  • Absolutistic thinking

    A belief in absolutes, a “black and white” way of thinking, with no middle ground or gray areas.  

  • Abreaction

    Abreaction

    Emotional release or discharge after recalling a painful experience that has been repressed because it was not consciously tolerable. A therapeutic effect sometimes occurs through partial or repeated discharge of the painful affect. A therapeutic effect sometimes occurs through partial discharge or desensitization of the painful emotions and increased insight. In psychoanalysis, the removal of…

  • Abnormality

    In psychological terms, any mental, emotional, or behavioral activity that deviates from culturally or scientifically accepted norms. In psychological terms, any mental, emotional, or behavioral activity that deviates from culturally or scientifically accepted norms. A form or condition which is not usual. A physical abnormality or distortion, a behavioral or mental disorder, or any deviation…

  • Abnormal involuntary movement scale (AIMS)

    A widely used assessment screening scale for tardive dyskinesia, a chronic, involuntary movement disorder that may develop in patients who have been treated for long periods with antipsychotics, especially conventional antipsychotic medications such as haloperidol (HALDOL).  

  • Abilify

    Brand name for the Atypical Antipsychotic drug Aripiprazole.  

  • Aberrant behavior

    Aberrant behavior

    A behavior that deviates from what is normal and expected. A behavior that deviates from what is normal and expected.  

  • Up-regulate

    The process of increasing the response to a stimulus.  

  • Theobromine

    A phytochemical touted for its ability to increase attention span. An alkaloid resembling caffeine, prepared from the dried seed of the Theobroma cacao or made synthetically. A stimulant which is found in coffee. An alkaloid, occurring in cocoa, that has a weak diuretic action and dilates coron£U7 and other arteries. It was formerly widely used…

  • Theanine

    A “calming amino acid” that counteracts anxiety and promotes relaxation.  

  • Synapse

    The small gap that separates neurons across which information flows from one cell to another. The gap between the membrane of one nerve cell and the membrane of another. The synapse is the space through which the nerve impulse is passed, chemically or electrically, from one nerve to another. The gap, or junction, between terminal…