Glossary_of_Terms

Glossary of Terms: A-M

affective flattening: see flattened affect.
agranulocytosis: the reduced ability of the bone marrow to manufacture white blood cells. The result is a diminished ability to fight infections.

agonist: a drug that binds to receptors and activates them.
akathisia: a side effect that can be caused by some antipsychotic medications, but also by other unrelated drugs. It is characterized by an intense feeling of internal restless that may be quite disturbing. Akathisia is often likened to Restless Legs Syndrome, but differs in that it may involve any part of the body or the entire body.
alogia: limited or absent speech.
ambivalence: see apathy.
amenorrhea: the abnormal absence of menstruation (menstrual cycles or periods); absent menstrual cycles would be normal prior to menarche (the onset of menstruation during puberty) or after menopause.
anergia: low energy.
anhedonia: the inability to experience pleasure.

antagonist: a drug that blocks neurotransmitter receptors.
antiparkinsonian drugs: drugs used to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease.

antipsychotic medication: a drug used to specifically lessen or eliminate the symptoms of psychosis, also known as neuroleptic medication (older sedating antipsychotics were referred to as major tranquilizers due to their sedating side effects).
apathy: indifference, not caring.

atypical antipsychotic medications: also referred to as "second generation" antipsychotics. Strictly speaking, they are a group of newer medications that share the following features: They are less likely to cause acute and chronic EPSE (extrapyramidal side effects). They are less likely to cause sustained increases in levels of the hormone prolactin. They may be better at targeting the negative signs and symptoms of schizophrenia. They may offer some advantage over older drugs in terms of treating refractory patients.
avolition: difficulty starting or continuing activities

bradykinesia: a slowing of a person’s gait or in their movements in general. This is often seen in Parkinson’s Disease or with the syndrome referred to as “parkinsonism” that can be caused by antipsychotic medications.
catalepsy: maintaining a fixed posture for prolonged periods.

catatonia: also known as catatonic syndrome. It is characterized by agitated or frenzied excitement or rigid unresponsive stupor. It may be a symptom of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or other disorders. It is more common in bipolar disorder than in schizophrenia.

clang associations: stringing together words that sound the same, but otherwise have no connection.

combined therapy: also known as combination drug therapy, polypharmacology, or augmentation. The use of two or more drugs in combination to provide an additive effect or to lessen the side effects that a higher dose of one medication alone may be producing.
command automatism: automatic compliance with instructions.

co-morbidity: the presence of two or more illnesses in the same person at the same time, e.g. schizophrenia and panic disorder.

compliance: taking medication as prescribed, on time, without missing doses; adhering to any facet of treatment such as attending scheduled appointments or therapy sessions.

concordance: how often a disease appears in a second identical twin when the first twin suffers from the disease.

depot: deposited or injected medication (fluphenazine decanoate, Haldol decanoate, and Risperdal Consta).
differential diagnosis: considering, comparing and contrasting all of the similar potential diagnoses that could account for a patient's symptoms; by a process of eliminating diagnoses that do not precisely fit all of the symptoms, we arrive at the final or definitive diagnosis. Any approximation of the correct diagnosis along the way is referred to as the "working diagnosis".

double blind studies: often referred to as “double-blind crossover” studies. This is standard research practice related to drugs where two groups are involved. One group receives the drug; the other group receives a placebo (an identical pill, capsule or liquid that contains no active ingredient). Both the patients and the researchers are “blind”; that is, neither knows who is receiving the active drug or the placebo until the study is completed. This prevents the researchers from attributing any observations they might make during the study to the drug. If the study includes a crossover phase, the study continues and all of the participants change from placebo to active drug, or active drug to placebo. This allows the researchers to collect information on every patient while they are taking the active drug. Typically, the data is collected and analyzed to determine if there is a correlation between improvement or side effects and exposure to the active drug.

dual disability: or dual disorder, the presence of substance abuse along with a mental illness.

dyskinesias: purposeless involuntary movements that may be hyperkinetic (rapid and repetitive) or slow. They may affect one’s ability to start or stop a movement, or involve tremor, as in Parkinsonism.

dystonias: contractions or spasms of individual muscles or muscle groups. They can be continuous or intermittent, sudden or slow, painful or painless. They may involve any muscle or muscles including the vocal cords. When it involves the muscles of the eyes, the dystonia is called oculogyric crisis.
echolalia: repeating the word or phrase just used by someone else.
echopraxia: imitating another persons movements.

extrapyramidal side effects: EPSE, or EPS (extrapyramidal symptoms). Side effects of antipsychotic medications that generally involve some combination of dystonias and dyskinesias. They may be acute (in this case they resolve quickly when the offending drug is discontinued) or chronic, as in TD (tardive dyskinesia), which is sometimes permanent. Strictly speaking, akathisia is probably not an EPSE, as other unrelated medications can produce this side effect.
flattened affect: a restricted range of emotions, dulled emotional responses.

hallucinations: seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting, or smelling things that are not real.
hyperthermia: antipsychotic medications may impair heat regulation, especially in hot or humid weather. Patients taking these medications should avoid overexertion, seek out cool environments, and consume plenty of fluids.
incidence: in epidemiology, the number of new cases in a population during a specified time period, usually a year, compared to the number of people at risk. The annual diagnosis rate. It is usually expressed as a percentage or as #/1000. Not to be confused with prevalence.
incoherent speech: rambling or disconnected speech.

(Sources: The author’s knowledge base, unless otherwise noted.)

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