Find over 25,000 psychological definitions


cocaine intoxication

in DSM–IV–TR, a reversible syndrome due to the recent ingestion of cocaine. It includes clinically significant behavioral or psychological changes (e.g., agitation, aggressive behavior, elation, grandiosity, impaired judgment, talkativeness, hypervigilance), as well as two or more physiological signs (e.g., rapid heartbeat, elevated blood pressure, perspiration or chills, nausea and vomiting). Large doses, especially when taken intravenously, may produce confusion, incoherence, apprehension, transient paranoid ideas, increased sexual interest, and perceptual disturbances (e.g., a sensation of insects crawling on the skin). An hour or so after these effects subside, the user may experience tremulousness, anxiety, irritability, fatigue, and depression. The equivalent term in DSM–5 is stimulant intoxication. See also substance intoxication.

Browse dictionary by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Psychology term of the day

February 11th 2025

cognitive complexity

cognitive complexity

the state or quality of a thought process that involves numerous constructs, with many interrelationships among them. Such processing is often experienced as difficult or effortful. See also conceptual complexity.