Definitions provided by:
Schizophrenia Glossary
Terms used to explain Schizophrenia can sometimes be confusing. To help you fully understand the articles and features related to this very important health topic, we have compiled a glossary of terms that can help.
Function: noun
1: an acute febrile condition marked by severe depression of the granulocyte-producing bone marrow and by prostration, chills, swollen neck, and sore throat sometimes with local ulceration and believed to be basically a response to the side effects of certain drugs of the coal-tar series (as aminopyrine) —called also agranulocytic angina, granulocytopenia
Function: noun
: any of various disorders (as panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, a phobia, or generalized anxiety disorder) in which anxiety is a predominant feature —called also anxiety neurosis, anxiety state
Function: noun
1: a developmental disorder that appears by age three and that is variable in expression but is recognized and diagnosed by impairment of the ability to form normal social relationships, by impairment of the ability to communicate with others, and by stereotyped behavior patterns esp. as exhibited by a preoccupation with repetitive activities of restricted focus rather than with flexible and imaginative ones
Function: noun
: any of several mood disorders characterized usu. by alternating episodes of depression and mania or by episodes of depression alternating with mild nonpsychotic excitement —called also bipolar affective disorder, bipolar illness, manic depression, manic-depressive psychosis, compare major depressive disorder
Function: noun
1: see: cognitive therapy
Function: noun
1. a: the act of deluding : the state of being deluded
b: an abnormal mental state characterized by the occurrence of psychotic delusions
2: a false belief regarding the self or persons or objects outside the self that persists despite the facts and occurs in some psychotic states compare hallucination 1 illusion 2a
1: a displacement downward or inward <depression of the jaw>
2: an act of depressing or a state of being depressed: as
a (1): a state of feeling sad
(2): a psychoneurotic or psychotic disorder marked esp. by sadness, inactivity, difficulty with thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal thoughts or an attempt to commit suicide
b: a reduction in functional activity, amount, quality, or force <depression of autonomic function> <depression of red blood cells>
dis*or*ga*ni*za*tion
Function: noun
: psychopathological inconsistency in personality, mental functions, or overt behavior <psychotic disorganization> <psychomotor disorganization>
Function: noun
1: a monoamine C8H11NO2 that is a decarboxylated form of dopa and occurs esp. as a neurotransmitter in the brain and as an intermediate in the biosynthesis of epinephrine see intropin
Function: noun
1: a feeling of well-being or elation; esp: one that is groundless, disproportionate to its cause, or inappropriate to one's life situation compare dysphoria
Function: noun
1: a perception of something (as a visual image or a sound) with no external cause usu. arising from a disorder of the nervous system (as in delirium tremens or in functional psychosis without known neurological disease) or in response to drugs (as LSD) compare delusion 2 illusion 2a
2: the object of a hallucinatory perception
Function: noun
1: a misleading image presented as a visual stimulus
2. a: perception of something objectively existing in such a way as to cause misinterpretation of its actual nature; esp: see: optical illusioncompare delusion 2
b: see: hallucination 1
c: a pattern capable of reversible perspective
Function: noun
1: physiology of the nervous system
Function: abbreviation
obsessive-compulsive disorder
Function: noun
: an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent unexpected panic attacks followed by a month or more of worry about their recurrence, implications, or consequences or by a change in behavior related to the panic attacks
1: a psychosis characterized by systematized delusions of persecution or grandeur usu. without hallucinations
2: a tendency on the part of an individual or group toward excessive or irrational suspiciousness and distrustfulness of others
1: characterized by or resembling paranoia or paranoid schizophrenia
2: characterized by suspiciousness, persecutory trends, or megalomania
Function: adjective
1: of, relating to, or resulting from polygenes : see: multifactorial<a polygenic disorder>
Function: noun
1: a serious mental disorder (as schizophrenia) characterized by defective or lost contact with reality often with hallucinations or delusions
: a psychotic disorder characterized by loss of contact with the environment, by noticeable deterioration in the level of functioning in everyday life, and by disintegration of personality expressed as disorder of feeling, thought (as in delusions), perception (as in hallucinations), and behavior —called also dementia praecox, see paranoid schizophrenia
: a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary uncontrollable movements esp. of the mouth, tongue, trunk, and limbs and occurring esp. as a side effect of prolonged use of antipsychotic drugs (as phenothiazine) abbr. TD
Spotlight on Schizophrenia
Famous People with Schizophrenia
Doctor Appointment Guide
New Treatment Options
Medications for Schizophrenia 
Schizophrenia in ChildrenReference: Mental Health and Behavior section on Better Medicine
Schizophrenia Features
What to Ask Your Doctor About Schizophrenia
Be prepared to ask the right questions at your next doctor’s appointment for schizophrenia.
