clomipramine

n. a tricyclic antidepressant drug used for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as well as depression and panic disorder. Clomipramine is a more potent inhibitor of serotonin reuptake than other tricyclic antidepressants, and its active metabolite, desmethylclomipramine, inhibits norepinephrine reuptake; it thus is classified as a mixed serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. Because of its tricyclic structure, it has the same adverse side effects and toxicity as other tricyclic antidepressants, and it has been largely supplanted by the SSRIs, one of which—fluvoxamine—is also used for the treatment of OCD. U.S. trade name: Anafranil.

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Psychology term of the day

March 11th 2025

mood disorder

in DSM–IV–TR, a psychiatric condition in which the principal feature is a prolonged, pervasive emotional disturbance, such as a depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, or substance-induced mood disorder. Also included are mood disorders due to a general medical condition, in which attendant physiological disruptions are believed to produce the emotional changes, and mood disorder not otherwise specified, which does not meet the diagnostic criteria for any of the specific mood disorders. The term chronic mood disorder is applied when symptoms rarely remit. In DSM–5, mood disorders are divided into two categories: bipolar and related disorders, which include bipolar disorder and its subtypes (e.g., bipolar I, bipolar II, cyclothymic disorder); and depressive disorders (e.g., major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder or dysthymic disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder). Also called affective disorder.