ONLY CHILDREN (Onliness)
Attitudes toward the only child are still influenced by the opinions of an earlier day. Among the most frequently quoted…
OLIGOPHRENIA (literally, “small mentality”)
A term for mental retardation or mental deficiency, more commonly used in Europe than the United States. Until recently the…
OEDIPUS COMPLEX (Oedipus Situation)
In psychoanalytic theory, the erotic attachment of the son for the mother, accompanied by attitudes of rivalry and hostility toward…
ODDITY METHOD
A procedure for testing the ability to use concepts. A subject is presented with three or more items to see…
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
A form of supportive therapy consisting of activities involving skill, such as weaving or typing.The primary purpose of occupational therapy…
OCCUPATIONAL PSYCHIATRY (Industrial Psychiatry)
The practice of psychiatry in a work setting, on either a full-time or consultative basis.This growing field represents “a promising…
OBSESSRVE-COMPULSIVE REACTION
A psychoneurotic reaction characterized by a persistent impulse to think certain thoughts (obsessions) or carry out certain actions (compulsions). Obsessions…
OBJECT RELATIONSHIP
A treatment procedure carried out in writing in order to reduce the subjectivity involved in a personal relationship between patient…
NYMPHOMANIA (Andromania)
A sexual deviation in females consisting of an excessive or insatiable desire for gratification.In nymphomaniacs, the desire for sexual stimulation…
NURSERY SCHOOL EXPERIENCE
Many studies have been made of the effect of nursery school on the intellectual, social, and emotional development of the…
NOSOLOGY (literally, “study of disease”)
The classification of diseases, or the branch of medicine that deals with naming and classifying diseases.Nosology has an extremely important…
NOREPINEPHRINE (Noradrenalin)
A substance secreted by the medulla of the adrenal gland.Since it has important effects on the activity of the sympathetic…
NIHILISM (Nihilistic Delusion)
In psychiatry, the delusion of nonexistence. The patient believes he no longer exists, that his mind or a part of…
NIGHT HOSPITAL (Night Care Program)
A psychiatric unit offering treatment and residential care to patients after working hours. In most cases the patients reside at…
NEWBORN INFANT (Neonate)
Anyone who looks through the window of a hospital nursery is bound to be impressed by the fact that individuality…
NEUROTIC PERSONALITY
A pattern of personality traits which renders the individual susceptible to an actual or “symptom” neurosis.The neurotic personality does not…
NEUROTIC DEPRESSIVE REACTION (Reactive Depression)
An acute depression precipitated by an intensely distressing situation such as loss of a job, death of a loved person,…
NEURON (Nerve Cell)
The basic structural unit of the nervous system, which transmits impulses from one part of the body to another.The nervous…
NEUROFIBROMATOSIS (Von Recklinghausen’s Disease)
A disorder transmitted by a dominant gene, causing mild or moderate mental defect in about one third of the cases.…