Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

167 results found

electroconvulsive therapy

(Encyclopedia)electroconvulsive therapy in psychiatry, treatment of mood disorders by means of electricity; the broader term “shock therapy” also includes the use of chemical agents. The therapeutic possibiliti...

shock therapy

(Encyclopedia)shock therapy: see electroconvulsive therapy. ...

behavior therapy

(Encyclopedia)behavior therapy or behavior modification, in psychology, treatment of human behavioral disorders through the reinforcement of acceptable behavior and suppression of undesirable behavior. The techniqu...

physical therapy

(Encyclopedia)physical therapy or physiotherapy, treatment of disorders of the muscles, bones, or joints by means of physical agents—heat, light, water, manual and electronic massage, and exercise. Stroke, arthri...

sex therapy

(Encyclopedia)sex therapy, treatment of sexual disorders and dysfunction, including impotence, orgasmic dysfunction, vaginismus (spasm of the muscles of the vagina), premature ejaculation, and lack of sexual respon...

gene therapy

(Encyclopedia)gene therapy, the use of genes and the techniques of genetic engineering in the treatment of a genetic disorder or chronic disease. There are many techniques of gene therapy, all of them still in expe...

therapy group

(Encyclopedia)therapy group: see group psychotherapy. ...

electric shock

(Encyclopedia)electric shock, effect of the passage of a current of electricity through the body. Fatality may result from shocks of from 1 to 2 amperes and 500 to 1,000 volts. However, the effect of electric shock...

psychotherapy

(Encyclopedia)psychotherapy, treatment of mental and emotional disorders using psychological methods. Psychotherapy, thus, does not include physiological interventions, such as drug therapy or electroconvulsive the...

behavior group therapy

(Encyclopedia)behavior group therapy: see group psychotherapy. ...