psychoactive

Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

Related to psychoactive: psychoactive substance

psychoactive

[si″ko-ak´tiv]

affecting the mind or behavior; see psychoactive substance. Called also psychotropic.

psychoactive substance–induced organic mental disorders former name for substance-induced disorders.

psychoactive substance use disorders substance use disorders.

psy·cho·ac·tive

(sī'kō-ak'tiv),

Possessing the ability to alter mood, anxiety, behavior, cognitive processes, or mental tension; usually describes pharmacologic agents.

psychoactive

/psy·cho·ac·tive/ (-ak´tiv) psychotropic.

psychoactive

(sī′kō-ăk′tĭv)

adj.

Affecting the mind or mental processes. Used of a drug.

psychoactive

[sī′kō·ak′tiv]

Etymology: Gk, psyche, mind; L, activus

pertaining to a drug or other agent that affects such normal mental functioning as mood, behavior, or thinking processes, such as stimulants, sedatives, or hallucinogens.

psy·cho·ac·tive

(sī'kō-ak'tiv)

Possessing the ability to alter mood, anxiety, behavior, cognitive processes, or mental tension; usually applied to pharmacologic agents.

Psychoactive

Substance that effects emotional and psychological perception in the brain.

Mentioned in: Club Drugs

psy·cho·ac·tive

(sī'kō-ak'tiv)

Possessing ability to alter mood, anxiety, behavior, cognitive processes, or mental tension.

References in periodicals archive ?

What appears to have happened is that the original mixture of plants used had psychoactive properties that affected dreaming, but these dreams were disturbing or confusing and the initiate's ailments (that included palpitations, fear, mental confusion, and severe agitation) did not improve after four months of use.

Psychoactive ubulawu spiritual medicines and healing dynamics in the initiation process of Southern Bantu diviners

Sanitary authorities in Mexico report that both psychoactive substances consumption and depression are among the ten first causes of healthy years lost in men.

Depresion y consumo de sustancias psicoactivas en universitarios mexicanos

When psychoactive drugs were first introduced, there was a brief period of optimism in the psychiatric profession," Angell writes, "but by the 1970s, optimism gave way to a sense of threat.

Psychiatry and drugs

Data Source: A review of the literature and a meta-analysis of 83 studies that reported the age of onset of psychotic disorders in patients who also reported their use (8,167 patients) or nonuse (14,352 patients) of psychoactive substances.

Marijuana use linked to earlier psychosis onset

They met twice weekly to discuss individual needs and interventions for residents who were on psychoactive drugs or whom staff identified as having weight loss, disruptive behaviors, pressure ulcers, or falls.

Team approach slashed psychoactive drug use

With the appearance of new psychoactive drugs in the 1950s 'psychiatry was lifted out of the doldrums of the large asylum era' and into the arena of physical medicine and outpatient treatment.

The Myth of the Chemical Cure

The correlations with psychoactive substance use largely resulted from social environmental factors in adolescence; genetic factors became more important in early and middle adulthood.

Substance abuse: nature or nurture?

Besides gesturing toward the tiny scale of the LSD molecule (with active doses measured in micrograms, LSD is one of the most potent psychoactive substances known), Weber's invocation of homeopathy suggests an alchemical perception of the signatures and subtle energies that skirt our conventional understanding of matter.

"Ecstasy: In and About Altered States"; Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art

100mg of psychoactive thujone," the sort of claim that is mocked on La Fee Verte, which dismisses the "glorious descriptions of absinthe highs in 19th century literature" as "so much flowery hot air.

The search for real absinthe: like Tinkerbell, the Green Fairy lives only if we believe in her

Similarly,if smacking is outlawed for small children, they too will very likely be disciplined by psychoactive drugs.

Letter: Drug culture

It stresses the determination of Ministers to ensure the opportunity is taken, during regular medical check-ups and road inspections, to monitor if professional drivers are taking psychoactive substances.