Glossary

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P - Z

Panic Attack / Panic Disorders: A stress-related, brief feeling of intense fear and impending doom or death, accompanied by intense physiological symptoms such as rapid breathing and pulse, sweaty palms, smothering sensations, shortness of breath, choking sensations, and dizziness.

Paranoia and Paranoid Disorders: Symptoms of paranoia include feelings of persecution and an exaggerated sense of self-importance

Pastoral Counseling: Pastoral counsellors working within traditional faith communities to incorporate psychotherapy, and/or medication, with prayer and spirituality.

Personality Disorders: Psychological disorders in which maladaptive personality patterns cause personal distress or inability to get along with others.

Pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PPDnos): A diagnosis which is often given when all the criteria for autism or Asperger's syndrome have not been met but the child's difficulties are of the kind found within the spectrum of autistic disorder.

phobia: Persistent fear of specific things or situations, which leads to avoidance of such things or situations.

Play Therapy: play therapy uses a variety of activities-such as painting, puppets, and dioramas-to establish communication with the therapist and child and resolve problems.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD): An anxiety disorder in which symptoms develop following a psychologically distressing event that is outside the normal range of human experiences (military combat, sexual assault, natural disasters, severe auto accidents)

Psychiatrists: Health professionals who have earned their M.D. and specialize in the field of psychiatry.

Psychologists(Clinical): Mental health professionals who is NOT an MD but have earned a doctoral degree in psychology ( Ph.D) and have received extensive clinical training.

Psychosis / Psychotic Disorders: An extreme mental disturbance that involves an actual break with reality, involving distorted perceptions of reality and irrational behavior, often accompanied by hallucinations and delusions. The disturbance may have either psychological or organic causes.

Psychosocial: Involving both psychological and social aspects or relating social conditions to mental health.

Psychotherapist: A person who practices psychotherapy either a clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, professional counselor, social worker or other mental health professional.

Psychotherapy: The treatment of mental disorders, emotional problems, and personality difficulties through talking with a therapist. There are dozens of different styles of psychotherapy

Quality Assurance: An approach to improving the quality and appropriateness of medical care and other services. Includes a formal set of activities to review, assess, and monitor care to ensure that identified problems are addressed.

rage: A state of intense emotional experience associated with uncontrolled destructive behavior.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): is a form of depression that some professionals believe is related to fluctuations in the exposure to natural light. Many physicians have the opinion that depression is present year round but symptoms are magnified at certain times of the year (winter, holidays, etc)

Schizoid Personality Disorder: People with this disorder are often cold, distant, introverted and have an intense fear of intimacy and closeness reality.

Schizophrenia: Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder marked by some or all of these symptoms: delusions, hallucinations, incoherent word associations, inappropriate emotions, or lack of emotions. It is characterized by serious disturbances of thought and perception, which cannot be attributed to brain damage.

School Phobia: An anxiety disorder characterized by inappropriate fear of attending school; this phobic behavior often represents a dependency problem that is reinforced by parental attention.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs): A commonly prescribed class of drugs for treating depression. SSRIs work by stopping the reuptake of serotonin, an action that allows more serotonin to be available to be taken up by other nerves.

Separation Anxiety: Intense anxiety experienced by children whenever they are separated from their parents.

Separation Anxiety Disorder: A disorder usually appearing before the age of 18.

Separation Anxiety: A disorder usually occurring before the age of 18 with an inappropriate anxiety regarding separation from home or family.

Serotonin: A chemical that transmits nerve impulses in the brain (neurotransmitter), causes blood vessels to narrow at sites of bleeding and stimulates smooth muscle movement in the intestines. It is thought to be involved in controlling states of consciousness and mood.

Serotonin and Norenpinephrine reuptake inhibitors: A commonly prescribed class of drugs for treating depression, which work by inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine, an action that allows serotonin and norepinephrine to be available to be taken up by other nerves.

Spectrum disorder: In a spectrum disorder the symptoms and characteristics can present themselves in a wide variety of combinations, from mild to severe.

Substance Abuse: Misuse of medications, alcohol or other illegal substances.

Suicidal behavior: Actions taken by one who is considering or preparing to cause their own death.

Suicidal ideation: Thoughts of suicide or wanting to take one's life.

Suicide: The intentional taking of one's life.

Suicide attempt: An act focused on taking one's life that is unsuccessful in causing death.

suppression: The conscious effort to control and conceal unacceptable impulses, thoughts, feelings, or acts.

Tourette's Syndrome: Tourette's Syndrome is a neurobiological disorder characterized by tics (involuntary, rapid, sudden movements and/or vocal outbursts that occur repeatedly). The symptoms change periodically in number, frequency, type, and severity - even disappearing for weeks or months at a time. Some common examples of motor tics include eye blinking, head jerking, shoulder shrugging, and facial grimacing. Vocal tics include throat clearing, barking noises, sniffing, and tongue clicking.

Tricyclic Antidepressants: Drugs used in the treatment of clinical depression. Tricyclic refers to the presence of three rings in the chemical structure of these drugs.

withdrawal: refers to the characteristic signs and symptoms that appear when a drug that causes a physical dependency is regularly used for a long time and then suddenly discontinued or decreased in dosage.