| pervasive development disorder | <neurology, psychiatry> A large group of developmental disabilities which are neurological disorders, usually of unknown cause. Characteristics include reduced abilities to understand language and communicate normally, reduced ability to socially interact with others in a normal manner, and limited variety in activities and interests. Individuals will also often respond in unusual ways to sensations, engage in repetitive activities, and resist changes to the environment or to daily routines. Types of pervasive development disorder include autism, Retts Syndrome, Hellers Syndrome, and Aspergers Syndrome. Acronym: PDD (12 Jan 1998) |
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| chromosome disorder | An abnormal condition due to an abnormality of the chromosomes. For example, Down syndrome (the genetic abnormality featuring three chromosome 21s, instead of two, also refered to as trisomy 21) is a chromosome disorder. (12 Dec 1998) |
| rumination disorder | A mental disorder occurring in infancy characterised by repeated regurgitation of food; usually accompanied by weight loss or failure to gain weight. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cocaine-related disorder | <psychiatry> Disorders related or resulting from use of cocaine. (12 Dec 1998) |
| cognition disorder | <psychology> Disturbances in the mental process related to thinking, reasoning, and judgment. (12 Dec 1998) |
| compulsive personality disorder | <psychology> A personality disorder which is characterised by the avoidance of feelings, emotion and intimacy within a framework of strict adherence to rules and order. (05 Jan 1998) |
| conduct disorder | A repetitive and persistent pattern of behaviour in which the basic rights of others or major age-appropriate societal norms or rules are violated. These behaviours include aggressive conduct that causes or threatens physical harm to other people or animals, nonagressive conduct that causes property loss or damage, deceitfulness or theft, and serious violations of rules. The onset is before age 18. (12 Dec 1998) |
| multiple personality disorder | A dissociative disorder in which the individual adopts two or more distinct personalities. Each personality is a fully integrated and complex unit with memories, behaviour patterns and social friendships. Transition from one personality to another is sudden. (12 Dec 1998) |
| conversion disorder | A disorder whose predominant feature is a loss or alteration in physical functioning that suggests a physical disorder but that is actually a direct expression of a psychological conflict or need. (12 Dec 1998) |
| polygenic disorder | <genetics> Genetic disorders resulting from the combined action of alleles of more thanone gene (for example, heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers). Although such disorders are inherited, they depend on the simultaneous presence of several alleles, thus the hereditary patterns are usually more complex than those of single-gene disorders. (14 Oct 1997) |
| posttraumatic stress disorder | Development of characteristic symptoms following a psychologically traumatic event that is generally outside the range of usual human experience; symptoms include numbed responsiveness to environmental stimuli, a variety of autonomic and cognitive dysfunctions, and dysphoria. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cyclothymic disorder | An affective disorder characterised by periods of depression and hypomania. These may be separated by periods of normal mood. (12 Dec 1998) |
| cyclothymic personality disorder | A personality disorder in which a person experiences regularly alternating periods of elation and depression, (see bipolar illness) usually not related to external circumstances or situation. (27 Sep 1997) |
| Hartnup disorder | <biochemistry> Amino acid transport defect that leads to excessive loss of monoamino monocarboxylic acids (cystine, lysine, ornithine, arginine) in the urine and poor absorption in the gut. See: iminoglycinuria. (18 Nov 1997) |
| heat stress disorder | A group of conditions due to overexposure to or overexertion in excess environmental temperature. It includes heat cramps, which are non-emergent and treated by salt replacement; heat exhaustion, which is more serious, treated with fluid and salt replacement; and heatstroke, a condition most commonly affecting extremes of age, especially the elderly, accompanied by convulsions, delusions, or coma and treated with cooling the body and replacement of fluids and salts. (12 Dec 1998) |