Glossary | |
| Terms that are on use on this site. | |
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| D | |
| There are 14 entries in the glossary. | |
| Pages: 1 | |
| Term | Definition |
| Debilitating | When health is being adversely affected. |
| Decriminalisation | The act of ceasing to treat an action as criminal. |
| Defaecating | The act of discharging faeces from the body. |
| Dementia | The name for a group of diseases that affect the normal working of the brain. The changes in the brain slowly lead to memory loss and confusion and affect people’s personality and behaviour. |
| Dental dam | A rubberised oral shield used to cover a female’s genitals during oral sex. |
| Depression | A mental state characterised by excessive sadness / feeling down. |
| DES | Diethylstilbestrol – this was a synthetic form of oestrogen which was used in the 1950s and 1960s to stabilise problem pregnancies. It was later found to have an adverse effect on the foetus and was discontinued. |
| Diabetes | A chronic condition due to low levels of insulin in the body which leads to high levels of glucose. |
| Dialysis | A method separating particles of different dimensions in a liquid mixture. |
| Discharge | Can be a normal physiological process e.g. vaginal discharge or can be caused by other problems, e.g. infections. |
| Disclosure | The act of revealing, making something known. |
| Discrimination | Unfavourable treatment based on prejudice e.g. sexuality, ethnic minority, age. |
| Dormant | Lying inactive as in sleep. |
| Dysfunction | An abnormality or impairment which affects how something would work. |
| Glossary V2.0 | |
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