| nature-nurture issue | A controversy concerning the relative importance of heredity (nature) and environment (nurture) in various aspects of individual development, such as intelligence, personality, or mental illness. (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| coverage | A measure of the extent to which the services rendered cover the potential need for these services in a community; applied specifically to such services as immunization in developing countries. (05 Mar 2000) |
| insurance coverage | Generally refers to the amount of protection available and the kind of loss which would be paid for under an insurance contract with an insurer. (slee & slee, health care terms, 2d ed) (12 Dec 1998) |
| universal coverage | Health insurance coverage for all persons in a state or country, rather than for some subset of the population. It may extend to the unemployed as well as to the employed; to aliens as well as to citisens; for pre-existing conditions as well as for current illnesses; for mental as well as for physical conditions. (12 Dec 1998) |
| brief | 1. A short concise writing or letter; a statement in few words. "Bear this sealed brief, With winged hastle, to the lord marshal." (Shak) "And she told me In a sweet, verbal brief." (Shak) 2. An epitome. "Each woman is a brief of womankind." (Overbury) 3. An abridgment or concise statement of a client's case, made out for the instruction of counsel in a trial at law. This word is applied also to a statement of the heads or points of a law argument. "It was not without some reference to it that I perused many a brief." (Sir J. Stephen) In England, the brief is prepared by the attorney; in the United States, counsel generally make up their own briefs. 4. A writ; a breve. See Breve. 5. A writ issuing from the chancery, directed to any judge ordinary, commanding and authorising that judge to call a jury to inquire into the case, and upon their verdict to pronounce sentence. 6. A letter patent, from proper authority, authorising a collection or charitable contribution of money in churches, for any public or private purpose. Apostolical brief, a letter of the pope written on fine parchment in modern characters, subscribed by the secretary of briefs, dated "a die Nativitatis," i. E, "from the day of the Nativity," and sealed with the ring of the fisherman. It differs from a bull, in its parchment, written character, date, and seal. See Bull. Brief of title, an abstract or abridgment of all the deeds and other papers constituting the chain of title to any real estate. In brief, in a few words; in short; briefly. "Open the matter in brief." See: Brief, and cf. Breve. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| brief psychiatric rating scale | A scale comprising 18 symptom constructs chosen to represent relatively independent dimensions of manifest psychopathology. The initial intended use was to provide more efficient assessment of treatment response in clinical psychopharmacology research; however, the scale was readily adapted to other uses. (12 Dec 1998) |
| brief psychotherapy | Any form of psychotherapy or counseling designed to produce emotional or behavioural therapeutic change within a minimal amount of time (generally not more than 20 sessions). Brief therapy is usually active and directive; it is more clearly indicated when there are clearly defined symptoms or problems, and where the goals are limited and specific. (05 Mar 2000) |
| brief reactive psychosis | <psychiatry> A brief display of psychotic behaviour that lasts for at least several hours, but not more than one week. Typically these reactions are brought on by periods of increased stress (for example death of a loved one). Symptoms include delusions, hallucinations, disordered thinking, impaired speech and bizarre dress. (27 Sep 1997) |
| psychotherapy, brief | Any form of psychotherapy designed to produce therapeutic change within a minimal amount of time, generally not more than 20 sessions. (12 Dec 1998) |
| legal brief | A detailed statement of the points of a client's case in a trial at law, giving the legal arguments, main content of a case, supporting statements, evidence, prior decisions, etc. (12 Dec 1998) |
| absent state | The saemiconscious state associated with an epileptic attack. Synonym: absent state. (05 Mar 2000) |
| activated state | <chemistry, radiobiology> An atom or nucleus which possesses more energy than its ground state energy. (16 Dec 1997) |
| acute confusional state | <psychiatry> A condition of severe confusion or rapid change in brain function. This often occurs as the result of a mental illness or physical illness. Symptoms include lethargy, agitation, confusion, disorientation and delirium. (27 Sep 1997) |
| anxiety tension state | A milder form of an anxiety disorder. See: anxiety disorders. (05 Mar 2000) |
| apallic state | Diffuse, bilateral cerebral cortical degeneration caused by head injury, anoxia, or encephalitis, a state of persistent unresponsiveness, such as akinetic mutism, caused by brain damage. See: vegetative. Synonym: apallic syndrome, apallic. (05 Mar 2000) |