Glossary

Category: E

  • Educable

    Capable of achieving a fourth- or fifth-grade academic level. A similar term is mild intellectual disability (intelligence quotient [IQ] of 52–67).  

  • Ecstasy

    A street name for 3,4,-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), a synthetic amphetamine, often used and abused in nightclubs And at all-night dance parties known as “raves” and at gay circuit Parties. Ecstasy appears to damage brain serotonin neurons, but It is still used, especially by teenagers, because it induces a profound Feeling of attachment and connection. There have…

  • Ecopsychiatry

    Scientific concept describing the basic and applied relationship between living things and their environment. These are assumed, by their presence or absence, to affect mental health.  

  • Economic viewpoint

    One of three metapsychological positions explicitly formulated by Sigmund Freud (1856–1939); concerned with the distribution, transformations, and expenditure of psychic energy.  

  • Echopraxia

    Imitative repetition of the movements, gestures, or posture of another. It may be a symptom of a neurological disorder or of schizophrenia. An automatic imitation by a person of another person’s movements or mannerisms, echolalia. The meaningless imitation of another person’s actions. Echopraxia is defined as the involuntary and spasmodic imitation of movements made by…

  • Echolalia

    Parrot-like repetition of overheard words or fragments of speech. It may be a symptom of a developmental disorder, a neurological disorder, or schizophrenia. Echolalia tends to be repetitive and persistent and is often uttered with a mocking, mumbling, or staccato intonation. Meaningless repetition of words by a person, usually of whatever is said to him…

  • Eating disorder

    Eating disorder

    A group of mental disorders characterized by marked disturbance in eating behavior. In dsm-iv-tr, this category includes anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and eating disorder not otherwise specified. Marked disturbance in eating behavior. In DSM-lII-R, eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia, pica, and rumination disorder of infancy. Disturbances of eating habits or weight- control behavior that…

  • Expressive language disorder

    Characterized by scores on tests measuring expressive language development that are below those on tests of nonverbal intelligence and receptive language. Symptoms may include limited vocabulary, speaking only in the present tense, errors in recalling words, and developmentally inappropriate sentence length. Failure of a child to learn how to speak, write, or use sign language…

  • Endorphins

    Endorphins

    The “feel-good” chemicals the brain manufactures that can override pain and put you in a better mood. Opioid peptides secreted in the brain that have a painrelieving effect similar to that of morphine. These peptides may be released in response to prolonged exercise, such as the “runner’s high”experienced by long-distance runners. A naturally produced chemical…

  • Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)

    An omega-3 fatty acid with anti-inflammatory properties. Along-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (C20:5 ω3). Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is a long-chain (20 carbons) omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid found primarily in fish oil. EPA is highly unsaturated with five double bonds. The potential role of EPA in athletic performance is described in the entry on omega-3 fatty acids.…