Girl Interrupted Glossary

Girl Interrupted Glossary

Ambidextrous

The ability to write proficiently with both hands

Ambivalent

Having mixed and/or contradictory feelings towards something or someone

Aorta

The main artery of the body that supplies oxygenated blood to the circulatory system

Borderline Personality Disorder

A mental illness featuring aggression, emotional instability, random mood swings, and impulsive behavior

Colace

A drug used to ease the effects of constipation

Contrite

The feeling or expression of remorse

Dyke

A dergatory term for someone who is a lesbian

Heifer

A young female cow that hasn't yet had a child

Mellow Out

Calm down

Mental Illness

Any kind of psychiatric disorder that causes atypical behavior

Mental Institution

Hospitals that specalize in the treatment of the mentally ill

Nervous Breakdown

A period of intense mental illness that stems from depression, stress, or anxiety

Noose

A rope with a looping knot. Often used in hangining suicides.

Overdose

When someone takes an excessive amount of drugs, often leding to severe injury or death

Schizophrenia

A form of psychosis (and a mental disorder) characterized by extremely impaired thinking, emotions, and behaviors. Schizophrenics often hear voices that encourage them to do bad things.

Sociopath

A person suffering from a mental illness/personality disorder that has extremely antisocial behavior and a lack of a conscience

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