Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Glossary of Terms

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3. Bipolar Disorder: Do You Have Extreme Mood Shifts?

Alprazolam: A benzodiazepine sedative that causes dose-related depression of the central n...

American Psychiatric Association: A medical specialty society with over 35,000 US and inte...

Amitriptyline: An antidepressant medication. In some patients with depression, abnormal l...

Anticonvulsant: A medication used to control (prevent) seizures (convulsions) or stop an o...

Antidepressants: Anything, and especially a drug, used to prevent or treat depression.

Antipsychotic: A medication (or another measure) that is believed to be effective in the t...

Anxiety: A feeling of apprehension and fear, characterized by physical symptoms such as pa...

Autism: A spectrum of neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by deficits in social inter...

Behavior therapy: A treatment program that involves substituting desirable behavior respon...

Benzodiazepines: A class of drugs that act as tranquilizers and are commonly used in the t...

Bipolar disorder: A mood disorder sometimes called manic-depressive illness or manic-depr...

Blood count: The calculated number of white or red blood cells (WBCs or RBCs) in a cubic m...

Blurred vision: Lack of sharpness of vision with, as a result, the inability to see fine d...

Brain: The portion of the central nervous system that is located within the skull. It func...

Breathing: The process of respiration, during which air is inhaled into the lungs through ...

Cognitive: Having to do with thought, judgment, or knowledge.

Cognitive therapy: A relatively short-term form of psychotherapy based on the concept that...

Complete blood count: A set values of the cellular (formed elements) of blood. These meas...

Complication: In medicine, an unanticipated problem that arises following, and is a result...

Constipation: Infrequent and frequently incomplete bowel movements. Constipation is the op...

Contrast: Short for "contrast media." Contrast media are X-ray dyes used to provide contra...

Cure: 1. To heal, to make well, to restore to good health. 2. A time withou...

Depression: An illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts and that affects the way...

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

Dissociation: In psychology and psychiatry, a perceived detachment of the mind from the em...

Dizziness: Painless head discomfort with many possible causes including disturbances of ...

Dry mouth: The condition of not having enough saliva to keep the mouth wet. This is due to...

Dysfunction: Difficult function or abnormal function.

Elavil: See: Amitriptyline.

Epinephrine: A substance produced by the medulla (inside) of the adrenal gland. The name e...

Genetic: Having to do with genes and genetic
information.

Group therapy: 1) A type of psychiatric care in which several patients meet with one or m...

Hair loss: Hair loss is the thinning of hair on the scalp. The medical term for hair loss ...

Herbal: 1. An adjective, referring to herbs, as in an herbal tea.
2. A...

Homicide: 1. The killing of a person. 2. Strictly speaking, the killing of a...

Hypnosis: A part of healing from ancient times. The induction of trance states and the use...

Indicate: In medicine, to make a treatment or procedure advisable because of a particular ...

Insomnia: The perception or complaint of inadequate or poor-quality sleep due to a number ...

Intervention: The act of intervening, interfering or interceding with the intent of modify...

Laboratory: A place for doing tests and research procedures, and for preparing chemicals a...

Liver: The largest solid organ in the body, situated in the upper part of the abdomen on t...

Manic: In a state of mania.

Medical school: A school with a curriculum leading to a medical degree. The mission of eve...

Mouth: 1. The upper opening of the digestive tract, beginning with the lips and con...

Nausea: Stomach queasiness, the urge to vomit. Nausea can be brought on by many causes, in...

OCD: 1. Obsessive-compulsive disorder; 2. Osteochondritis dissecans.

OCPD: Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Panic: A sudden strong feeling of fear that prevents reasonable thought or action. The wor...

Personality disorder: A disorder characterized by the chronic use of mechanisms of coping ...

Phobia: An unreasonable sort of fear that can cause avoidance and panic. Phobias are a rel...

Postpartum: The period just after delivery, as with postpartum depression. Postpartum refe...

Prognosis: The forecast of the probable outcome or course of a disease; the patient's chan...

Psychiatric: Pertaining to or within the purview of psychiatry, the medical specialty conc...

Psychiatry: The medical specialty that is concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, and tr...

Psychotherapy: The treatment of a behavior disorders, mental illness, or any other conditi...

Quality of life: The patient's ability to enjoy normal life activities. Quality of life is...

Radiologic: Having to do with radiology.

Recurrent: Appearing or occurring again. For example, a recurrent fever is a fever that ha...

Reuptake: The reabsorption of a secreted substance by the cell that originally produced an...

Rule out: Term used in medicine, meaning to eliminate or exclude something from considera...

Scan: As a noun, the data or image obtained from the examination of organs or regions of...

Schizotypal personality disorder: A type of personality characterized by unusual pattern...

Serotonin: A neurotransmitter that is involved in the transmission of nerve impulses. Sero...

Sleep: The body's rest cycle.

Social phobia: A paralyzing fear of interacting with others. Symptoms include excessive bl...

Sodium: The major positive ion (cation) in the fluid surrounding cells in the body. The ch...

Somatic: 1. Relating to the body. a. As distinguished from the mind (the psy...

SSRI: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, one of a family of antidepressant medication...

Stomach: The digestive organ that is located in the upper abdomen, under the ribs. The upp...

Stress: In a medical or biological context stress is a physical, mental, or emotional fact...

Tension: 1) The pressure within a vessel, such as blood pressure: the pressure within t...

Therapeutic: Relating to therapeutics, the branch of medicine that is concerned specifical...

Therapy: The treatment of disease. Therapy is synonymous with treatment.

Thyroid: 1. The thyroid gland. Also, pertaining to the thyroid gland. 2. A p...

Tiredness: See: Tired.

Trichotillomania: Compulsive hair pulling. An impulse control disorder characterized by th...

X-ray: High-energy radiation with waves shorter than those of visible light. X-ray is used...

Xanax: See: Alprazolam.