Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Illiteracy
Inability to read and write, but more specifically the inability to read and write so as to operate effectively in our information-packed society—reading signs, filling out forms, calculating figures, and dealing with words and numbers in all of their many aspects. Adults who cannot read, write, or calculate beyond eighth-grade level are often considered functionally…
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Identity disorder
A type of mental disorder that affects young people, in which the child is unable to mesh the various aspects of self into a coherent and acceptable identity (called borderline personality disorder if it persists into adulthood). Though many people have uncertainties about such questions as long-term goals, sexual orientation, religious and moral beliefs, and…
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Identified adoption
A form of adoption in which an adoption agency handles arrangements for an adoption that originated privately.
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Hypogenitalism
Underdevelopment of the reproductive organs, or genitals, as through disorders of the sex glands (gonads) or wider disorders such as Laurence-Moon-Biedl syndrome. A condition in which the genital organs are underdeveloped. It is characterized by reduced size of genital organs, failure of testes to descend in some cases, and incomplete development of secondary sex characteristics.…
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Hypoactive
Listless, lethargic, or considerably less active than is normal for a particular age group, seeming almost to move in slow motion, a characteristic found among some children with learning disabilities, mental retardation, or mental disorders; the opposite of hyperactive.
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Hyphema
Hemorrhage in the front of the eye, often looking like a bloodshot eye. Hyphema can be caused by violent shaking or a blow to the head and is one sign of possible child abuse. Bleeding into the anterior chamber of the eye, usually the result of injury. Blood in the anterior chamber of the eye,…
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Hyperpigmentation
A skin disorder involving excess amounts of the dark pigment melanin in the skin, making dark brown patches, especially on the forehead, temples, and cheeks, which are accentuated by exposure to sun. Generally resulting from hormonal imbalance, hyperpigmentation is associated with Addison’s disease and also sometimes occurs when a woman is using birth-control pills or…
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Hyperbilirubinemia
An excess amount of bilirubin (a yellowish substance formed by the breakdown of “retired” red blood cells) in the blood, which causes jaundice, a yellowish discoloration of the skin, mucous membranes, and the “whites” of the eyes. Often associated with liver malfunction or obstruction of ducts in the liver, or with hemolytic anemia, hyperbilirubinemia can…
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Hospital hold
Hospitalization of a child when medical or social-work staff suspect possible child abuse and neglect, often against the wishes of the parent or caretaker who has brought the child to an emergency room for treatment. Usually, social workers are quickly called in, as the state takes temporary custody of the child.
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Hospitals
Institutions providing medical care of a type or level that cannot generally be offered at home. Many hospitals are government institutions, run by federal, state, county, community, or city governments, sometimes at least partly funded by local contributions; many others are owned and operated by religious groups; some are linked with university research and teaching…
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