Terms beginning with "N"

Many misunderstandings in the depiction of people with mental illnesses have arisen from misunderstanding of the vocabulary of mental illnesses, or inaccuracies in that vocabulary’s use. The following glossary has been developed from The American Psychiatric Association’s Psychiatric Glossary and a list prepared by the Mental Health Association in Los Angeles County, of preferred and misunderstood terms used to describe mental illnesses. The glossary contains examples of both proper language and language that perpetuates misunderstanding and stigma.

Those marked with an asterisk (*) are examples of outmoded, inaccurate and stigmatizing language.

Necromania

An abnormal preoccupation with dead people.

Nervous Breakdown*

An inexact, out-of-date term most likely referring to an episode of clinical depression.

Neuroleptics

A range of medications used to treat psychotic illnesses.

Neuron

A nerve cell.

Neurosis

An emotional disorder that arises due to unresolved conflicts, anxiety being the chief characteristic. In contrast to the psychoses, neuroses do not involve gross distortions of reality.

Neurotransmitter

A chemical found in the nervous system that facilitates the transmission of impulses across synapses, or gaps, between neurons. Examples of neurotransmitters are dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin.

Nymphomania*

An abnormal or obsessive need or desire by a woman for sexual intercourse. This condition in men is known as satyriasis. Sometimes, the term “nymphomaniac” is used as a derogatory term for a woman who is openly sexual.

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