Category: A
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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.
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Acamprosate
A medication used in alcohol dependence to help control relapse and maintain abstinence. Acamprosate’s therapeutic effects are thought to be due to actions on GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) receptors. Marketed under the brand name campral. A medication used in Europe for its effectiveness in decreasing relapse to heavy drinking in abstinent alcoholic patients. It has been…
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Acalculia
Loss of previously possessed facility with arithmetic calculation. Loss of the ability to calculate. Inability to solve mathematical problems. Acalculia, also known as acquired dyscalculia, is the loss of arithmetic skills due to brain injury. The arithmetic difficulties may involve the reading or writing of numbers or arithmetic signs and misaligning or rotating digits or…
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Academic problem
School difficulty that is not due to a mental disorder. Examples are failing grades or significant underachievement in a person with adequate intellectual capacity.
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Abused child
A child or an infant who has suffered repeated injuries, which may include bone fractures, neurological and psychological damage, or sexual abuse at the hands of a parent, parents, or parent surrogate(s). The physical abuse is often precipitated by the child’s normal and age-appropriate mildly irritating behavior. Child abuse also includes child neglect. The abuse…
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Abuse (of psychoactive substances)
Impairment in social and occupational functioning resulting from the pathological and “compulsive” use of a substance. The concept is closely related to the definition of substance dependence, which has similar symptoms of impairment but may also include evidence of physiological tolerance or withdrawal. Typical symptoms of substance abuse include inability to fulfill major role obligations…
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Abuse (child, elder, spouse)
To misuse, attack, or injure. The abuse may be sexual, physical, or emotional. Cruel treatment of a child by an adult, including physical and sexual harm. This traditional term covers the neglect, physical injury, emotional trauma and sexual abuse of a child. Professional staff responsible for the care and well-being of children now refer to…