Audio Glossary

Antidepressants   alters levels of two important neurotransmitters in the brain, norepinephrine and serotonin, to reduce depression and anxiety

Anxiety   state of apprehension and autonomic nervous system activation resulting from exposure to a nonspecific or unknown cause

Anxiolytics   drugs that relieve anxiety

Electroencephalogram   (EEG) diagnostic test that records brainwaves through electrodes attached to the scalp

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)   difficult to control, excessive anxiety that lasts 6 months or more, focuses on a variety of life events, and interferes with normal day-to-day functions

Hypnotic   drug that causes sleep

Insomnia   the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep

Limbic system   area in the brain responsible for emotion, learning, memory, motivation, and mood

Long-term insomnia   inability to sleep for more than a few nights, often caused by depression, manic disorders, and chronic pain

Obsessive-compulsive disorder   recurrent, intrusive thoughts or repetitive behaviors that interfere with normal activities or relationships

Panic disorder   anxiety disorder characterized by intense feelings of immediate apprehension, fearfulness, terror, or impending doom, accompanied by increased autonomic nervous system activity

Phobias   fearful feelings attached to situations or objects such as snakes, spiders, crowds, or heights

Posttraumatic stress disorder   type of anxiety that develops in response to reexperiencing a previous life event that was psychologically traumatic

Rapid eye movement sleep   stage of sleep characterized by quick, scanning movements of the eyes

Rebound insomnia   increased sleeplessness that occurs when long-term antianxiety or hypnotic medication is discontinued

Reticular activating system (RAS)   responsible for sleeping and wakefulness and performs an alerting function for the cerebral cortex; includes the reticular formation, hypothalamus and part of the thalamus

Reticular formation   portion of the brain affecting awareness and wakefulness

Sedative   substance that depresses the CNS to cause drowsiness or sleep

Sedative-hypnotic   drug with the ability to produce a calming effect at lower doses while having the ability to induce sleep at higher doses

Short-term or behavioral insomnia   inability to sleep that is often attributed to stress caused by a hectic lifestyle or the inability to resolve day-to-day conflicts within the home or workplace

Situational anxiety   anxiety experienced by people faced with a stressful environment

Sleep debt   lack of sleep

Social anxiety   a fear of crowds

Tranquilizer   an older term sometimes used to describe a drug that produces a calm or tranquil feeling