A-C
Adderall
A combination of drugs for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy (a sleep disorder). It belongs to the family of drugs called stimulants. Also called dextroamphetamine-amphetamine.
Adderall XR®
A once daily extended-release, single-entity amphetamine product. ADDERALL XR combines the neutral sulfate salts of dextroamphetamine and amphetamine, with the dextro isomer of amphetamine saccharate and d,l-amphetamine aspartate monohydrate. The ADDERALL XR capsule contains two types of drug-containing beads designed to give a double-pulsed delivery of amphetamines, which prolongs the release of amphetamine from ADDERALL XR® compared to the conventional ADDERALL (immediate-release) tablet formulation.
Adolescence
The period of physical and psychological development from the onset of puberty to maturity. A transitional period of development between youth and maturity: the adolescence of a nation.
Adult ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder)
Characterized by excessive inattentiveness, impulsiveness and hyperactivity. While in children, hyperactivity is often displayed as constant squirming and moving, in adults it may be more of a constant feeling of restlessness and agitation. Extreme procrastination, disorganization, trouble making deadlines, and impulsive behavior is common.
Aggressive Behavior
Aggressive behavior is reactionary and impulsive behavior that often results in breaking household rules or the law; aggressive behavior is violent and unpredictable. Aggression can a problem for children with both normal development and those with psychosocial disturbances. Aggression constitutes intended harm to another individual, even if the attempt to harm fails
Amphetamine
A compound (or its derivatives) that acts as a central nervous system stimulant. Used as a stimulant in depressed states, to reduce appetite, and in attention-deficit disorders, it can also alleviate nasal congestion. Amphetamine use can lead to dependence. It has a high potential for abuse. Blood and urine tests can detect amphetamine use and toxic levels.
Anxiety
A feeling of apprehension and fear characterized by physical symptoms such as palpitations, sweating, and feelings of stress.
Aspartame
An artificial sweetener with an extremely low calorie content that is 190 times sweeter than sugar. Its lack of aftertaste is what makes it desirable as a substitution, although it is unstable when heated.
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
In comparison to ADHD, this condition is characterized by fewer serious conduct problems, less impulsivity, greater sluggishness, greater anxiety, and greater depressed mood. Children suffering from this condition exhibit inattention, disorganization and difficulty completing tasks.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
A neurobiological disorder. Typically children with AD/HD have developmentally inappropriate behavior, including poor attention skills, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. These characteristics arise in early childhood, typically before age 7, are chronic, and last at least 6 months. Children with AD/HD may also experience problems in the areas of social skills and self esteem.
Behavioral Problems
Behavior that goes to an extreme - behavior that is not slightly different from the usual; A problem that is chronic - one that does not quickly disappear; Behavior that is unacceptable because of social or cultural expectations
Behavior Modification
A treatment approach, based on the principles of operant conditioning, that replaces undesirable behaviors with more desirable ones through positive or negative reinforcement.
Bipolar Disorder
Most often, a person with manic-depression (bipolar disorder) experiences moods that shift from high to low and back again in varying degrees of severity. The two poles of bipolar disorder are mania and depression.
Boredom
A condition characterized by wandering attention, impaired efficiency, and low levels of arousal. It is sometimes confused with fatigue, but boredom typically results from too little stimulation, motivation, and interest.
Breathing Exercises
Therapeutic exercises designed to deepen inspiration or expiration or even to alter the rate and rhythm of respiration.
Caffeine
A stimulant found naturally in coffee beans, tea leaves, cocoa beans (chocolate) and kola nuts (cola) and added to soft drinks, foods, and medicines. A cup of coffee has around 100-250 milligrams of caffeine in it. Black tea that is brewed for 4 minutes has about 40-100 milligrams. Green tea may have one-third as much caffeine as black tea has.
Casomorphin
Casomorphin is a peptide sequence that is found in whey protein called casein, and which can be addictive to humans and cause an opiate effect.
Concerta
A sustained release form of methyphenidate (Ritalin)
Counseling
The application of mental health, psychological, or human development principles,
through cognitive, affective, behavioral or systematic intervention strategies, that address
wellness, personal growth, or career development, as well as pathology
D-G
Daydreaming
Absent minded dreaming while awake; The condition of being so lost in solitary thought as to be unaware of one’s surroundings
Daytrana
Methyphenidate or Ritalin patch
Decreased Appetite
Appetite is the desire to eat. A decreased appetite is when you have a reduced desire to eat. This occurs despite the body’s basic caloric (energy) needs.
Deferred Gratification
The ideological principle that encourages one to postpone immediate consumption or pleasure to work, train, invest, or gain in some other way an enhanced return at a future time.
Defiant Behavior
Boldly resisting authority or an opposing force; "brought up to be aggressive and defiant"; "a defiant attitude"
Depression
An illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts, that affects the way a person eats and sleeps, the way one feels about oneself, and the way one thinks about things.
Dextroamphetamine
The dextrorotatory isomer of amphetamine; used as the sulfate salt in the treatment of narcolepsy and attention-deficit. Abuse of this drug could lead to dependence
Dietary Supplements
Also known as food supplement, is a preparation intended to supply nutrients, (such as vitamins, minerals, fatty acids or amino acids) that are missing or not consumed in sufficient quantity in a person’s diet
Disinhibition
Loss of inhibition, as through the influence of external stimuli such as drugs or alcohol, or as a result of brain damage. Unrestrained behavior resulting from a lessening or loss of inhibitions or a disregard of cultural constraints.
Doing Chores
A piece of housework or other hard or dull job
Down Time
Time spent not working; free or leisure time; a brief period of inactivity occurring between tasks or obligations; rest, pause, break, etc.; an unproductive period caused as by illness, unexpected difficulties, etc.
Drug Holiday
Interval of time when a chronically medicated patient temporarily stops taking the medication; used to allow some recuperation of normal functions, to maintain sensitivity to the drug, and to reduce the likelihood of side-effects.
Dysfunctional
Relating badly: characterized by an inability to function emotionally or as a social unit - a dysfunctional family or dysfunctional behavior; not performing as expected: failing to perform an expected function - a dysfunctional bureaucracy; affected by disease or impairment: describes an organ or other part or system of the body that is unable to function regularly as a result of disease or impairment.
Eating Habits
Refers to why and how people eat, which foods they eat, and with whom they eat, as well as the ways people obtain, store, use, and discard food.
Emotional Intelligence
EI, describes an ability or capacity to perceive, assess, and manage the emotions of one’s self, and of others
Endorphins
A neurochemical occurring naturally in the brain and having analgesic properties; One of the body’s own painkillers, an opioid (morphine-like) chemical produced by the body that serves to suppress pain.
Enzymes
A protein (or protein-based molecule) that speeds up a chemical reaction in a living organism. An enzyme acts as catalyst for specific chemical reactions, converting a specific set of reactants (called substrates) into specific products. Without enzymes, life as we know it would not exist.
Essential Amino Acids
Those that are necessary for good health but cannot be synthesized by the body and so must be found in diet. There are eight amino acids generally considered essential for humans, including tryptophan, which is necessary for the body to create the neurotransmitters serotonin and melatonin. All essential amino acids can be found in vegetables, although care is needed to ensure proper levels in a strict vegetarian diet.
Essential Fatty Acids
A type of fat that cannot be manufactured by the body and needs to come from the diet. Essential fatty acids include omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
Exercise
Physical activity that is a planned, structured movement of the body designed to enhance physical fitness
Fidgeting
A state of restlessness, absent-mindedness, or unease expressed by continual nervous movements
Flaxseed Oil
Rich in an Omega-3 series of essential fatty acids called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA); Some nutritionists, researchers, and scientists believe flax seed oil is the most important supplement to promote health besides the multi-vitamin. Nearly every system including the cardiovascular system, immune system, circulatory system, reproductive system, nervous system, as well as joints and skin benefit from flax seed oil’s rejuvenating properties.
Focalin XR
An extended release form of Focalin, with the active ingredient dexmethylphenidate hydrocholoride, which is also found in methylphenidate (Ritalin)
Forgiveness
Giving up my right to hurt you, for hurting me; he process of ceasing to feel resentment, indignation or anger against another person for a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution
Grief
The normal process of reacting to a loss. The loss may be physical (such as a death), social (such as divorce), or occupational (such as a job). Emotional reactions of grief can include anger, guilt, anxiety, sadness, and despair. Physical reactions of grief can include sleeping problems, changes in appetite, physical problems, or illness.
H-K
Herbal
An adjective, referring to herbs, as in an herbal tea. A noun, usually reflecting the botanical or medicinal aspects of herbs; also a book which catalogs and illustrates herbs. The word "herbal" was pronounced with a silent "h" on both sides of the Atlantic until the 19th century but this usage persists only on the American side.
Heredity
The transmission of genetic characteristics from ancestor to descendant through the genes
Homework
Work, such as schoolwork, that is done at home
Hyperactivity
A higher than normal level of activity. Hyperactivity can be used to describe the increased action of a body function, such as hormone production, or behavior. A person who is hyperactive may seem to be always moving or fidgeting, impulsive, unable to concentrate, and talking too much.
Immunizations
Work by stimulating the immune system, the natural disease-fighting system of the body. The healthy immune system is able to recognize invading bacteria and viruses and produce substances (antibodies) to destroy or disable them. Immunizations prepare the immune system to ward off a disease. To immunize against viral diseases, the virus used in the vaccine has been weakened or killed.
Impulse Control
Refers to the person’s ability to withhold inappropriate verbal or motor responses while completing a task. Persons who act or speak without first considering the consequences are viewed as having poor impulse control.
Indicate
In medicine, to make a treatment or procedure advisable because of a particular condition or circumstance. For example, certain medications are indicated for the treatment of hypertension during pregnancy while others are contraindicated .
Information Processing
The sciences concerned with gathering and manipulating and storing and retrieving and classifying recorded information
Instant Gratification
The conscious expenditure of effort to make the time interval between wanting something and getting it as short as possible
Intrinsic Motivation
Motivation that comes from inside an individual rather than from any external or outside rewards, such as money or grades. The motivation comes from the pleasure one gets from the task itself or from the sense of satisfaction in completing or even working on a task.
Irritable Mood
Abnormal or excessive excitability with easily triggered anger, annoyance, or impatience
L-O
Learning Disabilities
The learning disabled have difficulties with academic achievement and progress. Discrepancies exist between a person’s potential for learning and what he actually learns. The learning disabled show an uneven pattern of development (language development, physical development, academic development and/or perceptual development). Learning problems are not due to environmental disadvantage. Learning problems are not due to mental retardation or emotional disturbance.
Linoleic Acid
An unsaturated fatty acid, C17H29COOH, considered essential to the human diet, that is an important component of natural drying oils.
Liver Damage
The most important thing to recognize about liver disease is that up to 50 percent of individuals with underlying liver disease have no symptoms. The most common symptoms are very non-specific and they include fatigue or excessive tiredness, lack of drive, occasionally itching. Signs of liver disease that are more prominent are jaundice or yellowing of the eyes and skin, dark urine, very pale or light colored stool or bowel movements, bleeding from the GI tract, mental confusion, and retention of fluids in the abdomen or belly.
Menu Planning
The process you go through to select, purchase, and prepare the food you will eat for a select period of time. In easier terms, how do you decide what you will cook, buy your groceries, and then make the food.
Metadate CD
A long acting form of methylphenidate (Ritalin)
Mood Swings
An oscillation between periods of feelings of well-being and depression. Occasional "blue" periods are not regarded as abnormal. The swings are longer and more intense in persons with manic-depression.
Moral Reasoning
A study in psychology that overlaps with moral philosophy. It is also called Moral development.
Muscle Relaxation
The act of relaxing or the state of being relaxed; Physiology. The lengthening of inactive muscle or muscle fibers; A reduction in strictness or severity
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
The division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) which conducts and supports research nationwide on mental illness and mental health, including studies of the brain, behavior, and mental health services
Nervous Energy
Too much energy that you have when you are nervous
Nervous System
The nervous system comprises the central and peripheral nervous systems. The central nervous system includes the encephalon ( brain , brain stem ) and spinal cord; the peripheral system contains the body’s other nerves. Made of billions of interconnected nerve cells , the nervous system is a vast communication network linking all body parts and allowing us to interact with our environment.
Night Terrors
A condition that occurs during stages 3 or 4 of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. It is characterized by repeated episodes of abrupt awakening, usually with a panicky scream, and accompanied by intense anxiety, confusion, agitation, disorientation, unresponsiveness, marked motor movements, and total amnesia concerning the event.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
An ongoing pattern of disobedient, hostile, and defiant behavior toward authority figures that goes beyond the bounds of normal childhood behavior. Behavior pattern focuses toward extreme arrogance. Children with this disorder throw temper tantrums, often refuses to follow the rules, easily get annoyed, argue with people and blame others for their own mistakes.
Organic Food
Produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled ‘organic,’ a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.”
Organize
To arrange or constitute in parts, each having a special function, act, office, or relation; to systematize; to get into working order; — applied to products of the human intellect, or to human institutions and undertakings, as a science, a government, an army, a war, etc.
P-S
Play Therapy
A method of psychotherapy with children in which a therapist uses a child’s fantasies and the symbolic meanings of his or her play as a medium for understanding and communication with the child
Positive Feedback
Information, such as praise, received either during or after completion of a performance, which encourages a repeat of the action
Prescription Medication
A drug requiring a prescription, as opposed to an over-the-counter drug, which can be purchased without one. The word "prescription" comes from the Latin "praescriptus" compounded from "prae", before + scribere, to write = to write before. Historically, a prescription was written before the drug was prepared and administered.
Problem Solving
Goal-directed thinking and action in situations for which no routine solutions exist. The problem solver has a more or less well defined goal, but it is not immediately obvious how to reach it. The incongruence of goals and admissible operators constitutes a problem. The understanding of the problem situation and its step-by-step transformation, based on planning and reasoning, constitute the process of problem solving
Prosocial Behavior
Occurs when someone acts to help another person, particularly when they have no goal other than to help a fellow human
Protein
A large molecule composed of one or more chains of amino acids in a specific order; the order is determined by the base sequence of nucleotides in the gene that codes for the protein. Proteins are required for the structure, function, and regulation of the body’s cells, tissues, and organs; and each protein has unique functions. Examples are hormones, enzymes, and antibodies.
Racing Thoughts
A symptom of mania in which the individual experiences rapidly changing and uncontrollable ideas
Relaxation Exercises
A particular type of relaxation exercise that requires a person to alternate between tensing and relaxing different muscle groups throughout the body. It is thought that more complete relaxation can occur by first tensing your muscles. In addition, by tensing your muscles and immediately relaxing them afterwards, a person may begin to view sensations associated with muscle tension (a common symptom of stress and anxiety) as a signal to relax.
Risk Factors
Something that increases your chances of getting a disease
Ritalin
(Methylphenidate) belongs to the group of medicines called central stimulants. It is used to treat children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Ritalin works by increasing attention and decreasing restlessness in children who are overactive, cannot concentrate for very long, or are easily distracted, and are emotionally unstable.
Self-confidence
Freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities; "his assurance in his superiority did not make him popular"; "after that failure he lost his confidence"; "she spoke with authority"
Self-control
Cognitive and behavioral skills used by individuals to maintain self-motivation and achieve personal goals
Self-motivation
The ability to satisfy a desire, expectation, or goal without being influenced to do so by another person
Shire Pharmaceuticals
Shire Pharmaceuticals Group plc is a British manufacturer of pharmaceuticals including Adderall XR, Carbatrol, and Fosrenol.
Side Effects
Problems that occur when treatment goes beyond the desired effect. Or problems that occur in addition to the desired therapeutic effect.
Sleep Disorder
Group of syndromes characterized by disturbance in the patient’s amount of sleep, quality or timing of sleep, or in behaviors or physiological conditions associated with sleep.
Socialization
The process by which a child learns the norms and expected behavior of his culture, usually by imitation or group pressure
Stimulant Medication
The substances that are used or misused to increase the functioning of the central nervous system
Substance Abuse
A pattern of harmful use of any substance for mood-altering purposes
Suicidal Thoughts
Thinking about taking one’s life, up to and including the planning out of one’s own death.
T-V
Temper Tantrums
Disruptive or undesirable behaviors or emotional outbursts displayed in response to unmet needs or desires. They may also refer to an inability to control emotions due to frustration or difficulty expressing a particular need or desire.
Temperament
Our inborn personality traits, which are genetic in nature. The different ways infants interact with and react to their environment and experiences are reflective of their temperament, or behavioral style.
Time Out
A brief cessation of play at the request of a sports team or an official for rest, consultation, or making substitutions; A short break from work or play; A corrective measure or punishment for young children in which they are separated from others for a brief period; The place, especially a chair, used for such a measure or punishment.
Thyroid Hormone
A chemical substance made by the thyroid gland for export into the bloodstream
Tricyclic Antidepressants
A class of antidepressant drugs first introduced in the 1950s. They are named after their molecular structure, which contains three rings of atoms
Verbal Skills
A general category referring to various language related abilities commonly used in reading and writing including organization of sentences and syntax. Verbal skills are typically acquired during formal education as well as through modeling experience.
Vyvanse
A long acting stimulant that is similar to Adderall. In fact, its main ingredient is lisdexamfetamine dimesylate, a derivative of one of the ingredients in Adderall.
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