1. electroshocktherapy (n) a form of shock therapy in which electric current is applied to the brain
2. acute (adj) having a rapid onset and following a short but severe course
3. chronic (adj) lasting a long time or recurring often OR extremely sharp or severe; intense
4. loony (n) someone not entirely in control of their mental faculties
5. lobotomy (n) a surgical operation in which a lobe of the brain, especially the frontal lobe of the cerebrum, is cut into or across as a treatment for psychosis
6. electroencephalograph (n) an instrument for making electroencephalograms, graphic tracings of minute voltage changes resulting from bioelectric activity in the brain.
7. pinochle (n) any of a family of card games, usually for three or four persons and typically played with a 48-card deck made up of two of every card above the eight, including the ace.
8. individuality (n) the quality or state of being individual; singularity
9. conformity (n) action or behavior in correspondence with socially accepted standards, conventions, rules, or laws
10. matriarchy (n) government, rule, or domination by women
11. patriarchy (n) government, rule, or domination by men
12. croon (v) to sing or hum in a low, gentle tone; to sing (popular songs) in a soft, sentimental manner
13. paranoid (adj) characterized by extreme suspiciousness, grandiose delusions, or delusions of persecution
14. schizophrenia (n) Any of a group of psychotic disorders usually characterized by withdrawal from reality, illogical patterns of thinking, delusions, and hallucinations, and accompanied in varying degrees by other emotional, behavioral, or intellectual disturbance
15. maudlin (adj) foolishly and tearfully or weakly sentimental
16. latrine (n) a toilet, privy, etc. for the use of a large number of people
17. gurney (n) a stretcher or cot on wheels, used in hospitals to move patients
18. convulsion (n) a violent, involuntary contraction or spasm of the muscles
19. Faulknerian (adj) a reference to American writer and Nobel Laureate William Faulkner, known for his fiction that depicts human frailties
20. punitive (adj) inflicting, concerned with, or directed toward punishment
21. leucotomy (n) lobotomy [see #5 above]
22. wheedle (v) to influence or persuade (a person) by flattery, soothing words, coaxing, etc.
23. jounce (v) to shake, jolt, or bounce, as in riding
24. flophouse (n) a very cheap hotel frequented chiefly by indigents
25. keelhaul (v) to haul (a person) down through the water on one side of a ship, under the keel, and up on the other side as a punishment or torture
26. troll (v) to fish with bait or a lure trailed on a line behind a slowly moving boat
27. jetty (n) a kind of wall built out into the water to restrain currents, protect a harbor or pier, etc.
28. vermin (n) various insects, bugs, or small animals regarded as pests because they are destructive, disease-carrying, etc.
29. hallucinate (v) to perceive sights, sounds, etc. and so on that are not actually present
30. ramshackle (adj) loose and rickety; likely to fall to pieces; shaky