| mental retardation | Subnormal intellectual functioning which originates during the developmental period and is associated with impairment of one or more of the following: (1) maturation, (2) learning, (3) social adjustment. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| mental scotoma | Absence of insight into, or inability to comprehend, items relative to a subject whose content is highly emotional to the individual. Synonym: blind spot. (05 Mar 2000) |
| mental spine | A slight projection, sometimes two, in the middle line of the posterior surface of the body of the mandible, giving attachment to the geniohyoid muscle (below) and the genioglossus (above). Synonym: spina mentalis, genial tubercle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| mental state | <clinical sign, psychiatry> A finding on physical examination that may refer to any number of abnormal changes in baseline mental functioning. Milder examples include mood changes, irritability, personality changes, depression or blunted affect. Advanced changes include confusion, lethargy, sleepiness, hallucinations, unresponsiveness and coma. (27 Sep 1997) |
| mental status schedule | Standardised clinical interview used to assess current psychopathology by scaling patient responses to the questions. (12 Dec 1998) |
| mental symphysis | The fibrocartilaginous union of the two halves of the mandible in the foetus; it becomes an osseous union during the first year. Synonym: symphysis mandibulae, symphysis mentalis, symphysis menti. (05 Mar 2000) |
| mental tubercle | A paired eminence on the mental protuberance of the mandible. Synonym: tuberculum mentale, eminentia symphysis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| clasped thumbs and mental retardation | A syndrome with the following characteristic features: (1) neurologically:mental retardation and aphasia (lack of speech); (2) limbs: adducted (clasped) thumbs, absent extensor pollicis longus and/or brevis muscles to the thumb, shuffling gait, and leg spasticity; (3) growth: small body size; (4) skeleton: lumbar lordosis (sway back). The syndrome is inherited as an X-linked trait and so affects mainly boys. Alternative names include MASA syndrome (MASA stands for mental retardation, aphasia, shuffling gait, and adducted thumbs), adducted thumb with mental retardation, congenital clasped thumb with mental retardation, and the Gareis-Mason syndrome. (12 Dec 1998) |
| Columbia Mental Maturity Scale | An individually administered intelligence test that provides an estimate of the intellectual ability of children; provides mental ages ranging from 3 to 12 years, and requires no verbal response and minimal motor response. Origin: Columbia University, NY (05 Mar 2000) |
| community mental health centre | A mental health treatment centre located in a neighborhood catchment area close to the homes of patients, introduced in the 1960's via new federal legislation designed to replace the large state hospitals, which usually were located in remote rural areas; features include offering a series of comprehensive services by one or more members of the four mental health professions, provision of continuity of care, participation of consumers in the centres, community location to provide accessibility, a combination of indirect or preventive and direct services, the use of program-centreed as well as case-centreed consultation, a requirement for program evaluation, and various linkages to a variety of health and human services. (05 Mar 2000) |
| community mental health centres | Facilities which administer the delivery of psychologic and psychiatric services to people living in a neighborhood or community. (12 Dec 1998) |
| community mental health services | Diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive mental health services provided for individuals in the community. (12 Dec 1998) |
| congenital clasped thumb with mental retardation | See: Clasped thumbs and mental retardation. (12 Dec 1998) |
| national institute of mental health | A component of the national institutes of health concerned with research, overall planning, promoting, and administering mental health programs and research. (12 Dec 1998) |
| substance-induced organic mental disorders | Mental disorders caused by use of drugs, e.g., cocaine. (05 Mar 2000) |