Glossary of Mental Health Terms
Adult Children of Alcoholics: a therapeutic, 12-step group program designed to help people who grew up in alcoholic homes (as well as those marked by other dysfunctions such as compulsive gambling) understand the effects of this upbringing on
Adult Children of Alcoholics: a therapeutic, 12-step program designed to help people who grew up in alcoholic homes (as well as those marked by dysfunctions such as compulsive gambling understand the effects of their upbringing on their choices and actions, recover and build healthy adult lives. The program follows the traditional 12-step format with meetings around the world.
Agoraphobia: an anxiety disorder characterized by intense fear of being caught or trapped in situations where no help is available should some incapacitating (e.g., losing control) or embarrassing (e.g., fainting) event occur in the presence of others.
Agoraphobia can be brought on by repeated panic attacks and over time, if untreated, can lead to the fear of leaving one's house. Agoraphobia can also lead to depression.
Amnesia: partial or complete loss of memory that can be caused by head injury. Severe psychological trauma can lead to amnesia as a kind of dissociative disorder in which the individual experiences extensive but selective memory loss. Amnesia can also result from certain brain tumors.
Anorexia Nervosa: a progressive eating disorder characterized by the inability to consistently maintain adequate body weight, an intense fear of becoming obese, and an unrealistic, negative body image. Despite an emaciated waif-like appearance, individuals with anorexia "feel fat" and continue to want to lose weight in order to feel more secure. In order to lose the weight, sufferers fast or eat very little. Starvation causes the gradual deterioration of physical health and eventually can lead to a system-wide failure of the body and to death.
Antisocial Personality Disorder: a condition characterized by antisocial behavior (such as lying, stealing, and sometimes violence), lack of social emotions (guilt and shame), and impulsivity.
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Anxiety Disorders: a condition that cause intense feelings of anxiety and tension when there is no real danger. The symptoms cause significant distress and interfere with daily activities. Sufferers of anxiety disorders usually take extreme measures to avoid situations that provoke anxiety. The physical signs of anxiety are restlessness, irritability, disturbed sleep, muscle aches and pains, gastrointestinal distress, and difficulty concentrating. Anxiety disorders are often accompanied by the symptoms of depression and can lead to chronic anxiety. See also generalized anxiety disorders, panic disorders, agoraphobia, panic attack, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder, and school phobia.
Attention-Deficit Disorders (ADD): a developmental disorder characterized by developmentally inappropriate degrees of inattention, over-activity, and impulsivity. Symptoms are neurologically-based, arise in early childhood, and are chronic in nature in most cases. Symptoms are not due to gross neurological impairment, sensory impairment, language or motor impairment, mental retardation, or emotional disturbance. Three main traits characterize ADD: (1) poor sustained attention or vigilance; (2) impulsivity or difficulty delaying gratification; and (3) hyperactivity or poorly regulated activity. Increased variability of task performance and problems complying with rules are often key features.
Autism: a childhood disorder present before the age of 30 months which is characterized by withdrawal, self-stimulation, cognitive deficits, and language disorders.
Behavior Disorders: many terms are used interchangeably to classify children who exhibit extreme or unacceptable chronic behavior problems. These children lag behind their age-mates in social development and are often isolated from others either because they withdraw from social contact or because they behave in an aggressive, hostile manner. Behavior disorders result from persistent negative social interactions between the child and the environment. Behavior disorders generally consist of four clusters of traits, including conduct disorders, anxiety-withdrawal, immaturity, and socialized aggression.
Behavior Modification: the application of conditioning techniques (rewards or punishments) to reduce or eliminate problematic behavior, or to teach people new responses.
Behavioral Medicine: the interdisciplinary field that studies behaviors related to the maintenance of health, the onset of illness, and the prevention of disease through the integration of behavioral and biomedical science.
Behaviorism: an approach to psychology that emphasizes the study of objectively observable behavior rather than inner mental experiences. Behaviorists stress the role of the environment as a fundamental shaper of human and animal behavior. Behaviorist use behavior modification to re-shape the behavior of subjects.
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Biofeedback: a technique for controlling bodily functions usually thought to be involuntary (not under your conscious control). The procedure utilizes electronic equipment to monitor continuously some feature of physiological response (e.g., heart rate, breathing, or muscle tension) and convert the measurements into signals which a person can perceive easily.
Bipolar Disorder / Manic Depression: a serious mood disorder which involves extreme mood swings or highs (mania) and lows (depression); sometimes termed manic-depressive psychosis.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder: a condition which involves an excessive concern about an imagined or exaggerated physical flaw. People with BDD are not just unhappy with how they look, but have such a distorted view of themselves or a body part that they think others will be disgusted by their appearance. As a result, they may become so obsessed with their appearance that work and relationships suffer. BDD is common in individuals with eating disorders who worry about weight or body shape, but people with the disorder may also focus on their facial or physical features, hair or body odor. Because of the obsessive and compulsive tendencies which often accompany it (excessive grooming, constantly checking the mirror) BDD has also been linked to obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders.
Borderline Personality: a highly unstable personality style characterized by intense personal relationship problems such as extreme rudeness, aggression, or criticalness and flip-flopping of their feelings and opinions of others from one extreme to another. They often have problems with impulsivity (acting on impulse without thinking), substance abuse (drug abuse), and impulsive spending/debting. Individuals with borderline personality often suffer from depression, anxiety, and the fear of being abandoned. See also personality disorders.
Bulimia: an eating disorder characterized by binge eating (uncontrolled consumption of large amounts of food), attempts to compensate for food intake by purging (self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, restrictive eating, or diuretic or laxative abuse), and persistent over-concern with body weight and shape. Bulimia can be hidden from others, since individuals with bulimia often look like everyone else.
Individuals with bulimia often have low self-esteem, negative self-thoughts, depressed feelings, and a sense of shame. They may be coping with identity questions, concerns about relationships, family problems, or past sexual abuse. Physical problems include dental problems, digestive tract problems, electrolyte imbalance, and swelling of the parotid glands. See also chronic dieting, compulsive overeating, and anorexia nervosa.
Childhood Depression: a mood disorder among children that resembles depression in adults, but shows up in very different ways in children. Children with depression may appear persistently sad, may no longer enjoy activities they normally enjoy, or they may frequently appear agitated, hyper or irritable. Depressed children may frequently complain of physical problems such as headaches and stomachaches and often have frequent absences from school or poor performance in school. They may appear bored or low in energy and frequently have problems concentrating. A major change in eating or sleeping patterns is a frequent sign of depression in children and adolescents. Significant depression probably exists in about 5 percent of children and adolescents in the general population. Children under stress, who experience loss, or who have learning disorders are at a higher risk for depression.
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Chronic Dieting: a very common eating disorder, especially among high school and college age women. Chronic dieting disrupts healthy eating patterns and involves negative self thoughts based upon external appearance. For chronic dieters, self-esteem is based upon looks, rather than being experienced as an internal feeling.
Compulsions: repetitive behaviors intended to ward off harm to the sufferer of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Performing compulsive rituals gives the person with obsessive-compulsive disorder some temporary relief from the anxiety caused by obsessions. For example, compulsive hand-washing relieves the obsessive thought, "My hands have germs. I'm going to get sick."
Compulsive Gambling / Pathological Gambling: an impulse-control disorder creating an irresistible urge to gamble despite the financial or personal problems doing so may cause. For most compulsive gamblers, it is not the money itself that drives the urge so much as the thrill of gambling. Some signs of pathological or compulsive gambling include lying about or being secretive about gambling, gambling when already in debt, borrowing or stealing money to gamble, frequent thoughts about gambling, feeling at ease only when gambling, and needing to gamble increasing amounts of money in order to experience the same rush as before.
Compulsive Hoarding Syndrome: often linked to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), compulsive hoarding is marked by the obsessive accumulation of items, to the point where the hoarder's home may become so filled that it is almost unlivable. To others these items appear worthless, but hoarders are unable to throw them away because they fear needing them later on or feel unexplainably attached to the items. Compulsive Hoarding Syndrome can cause considerable distress for the sufferer. Homes may become dangerous due to sanitary conditions or fire hazards. Relationships are hard as hoarders are reluctant to invite others over and be "found out." Because they have trouble making decisions and focusing attention, hoarders may also take a long time to finish tasks at work.
Compulsive Overeating: an eating disorder which involves binge eating without the purging behaviors typical in bulimia. Compulsive overeaters eat foods for emotional rather than nutritional reasons, often eating large quantities of "junk" food. Compulsive overeaters often turn to food for comfort when stressed or upset. Compulsive overeaters are often overweight, but not all people who are obese are compulsive overeaters.
Compulsive Personality: personalities who are unusually tidy and even rigid in their daily behavior. Unlike people with obsessive-compulsive disorder, however, they do not find their behavior distressing or perceive their behavior as interfering with their lives. See also compulsions and personality disorders.
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Compulsive Shopping / Compulsive Buying Disorder: a pattern of chronic spending and buying that is difficult to control and ultimately results in harmful consequences. Most people occasionally splurge on things they don't need or spend too much money, but compulsive shoppers do this frequently, leading to devastating financial and emotional results. Shopping binges produce a high in compulsive shoppers, followed by a sense of guilt when they realize how much was spent. Not surprisingly, compulsive shopping may result in debt, depression and the destruction of relationships.
Conduct Disorder: a persistent pattern of behavior that involves violation of the rights of others (disobedience, destructiveness, jealousy, boisterousness, inadequate feelings of guilt). The pattern is seen at home, school, and in the community. Verbal and physical aggression are key features of conduct disorder.
Delusions: gross misrepresentations of reality which are a common symptom of schizophrenia and other psychoses. Typical delusions include those of persecution, romance, grandeur, and control
Dementia: a term used to describe a decline in intellectual function beyond the normal effects of aging. Memory, problem solving and language comprehension are generally the most affected areas and signs of the disease include forgetfulness, language problems, getting lost, loss of motivation, mood swings and personality changes.
Common types of dementia include Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease.
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Denial: a defense mechanism in which a feeling or wish is blocked by the person because conscious admission of the thought or feeling would be too painful.
Depression: a mood disorder involving disturbances in emotion (excessive sadness), behavior (apathy and loss of interest in usual activities), cognition (distorted thoughts of hopelessness and low self-esteem), and body function (fatigue, loss of appetite). Symptoms extend into many parts of an individual's life and include lack of interest in daily activities, decreased motivation, feelings of worthlessness, and sometimes suicidal thoughts.
Developmental Disorders: serious delays in the development of one or more areas of functioning.
Dissociative Disorders: a disorder in which normal consciousness or identity is split or altered; often a result of an intense psychological trauma, as in psychogenic amnesia, post-traumatic stress disorders, or multiple personalities.
Domestic Violence: the physical, sexual and/or psychological abuse of a person by a current or former intimate partner. Also referred to as "intimate partner abuse", "spouse abuse" and "spousal abuse."
Dyslexia: a term used to describe the learning disability also known as specific reading disability or reading disability. The disorder is characterized by impaired word recognition or decoding skills and reading comprehension difficulties.
Eating Disorders: very common mental health problems which have severe and direct effects on the physical health and well being of the sufferer. Eating disorders refer to a variety of disturbed eating behaviors, all associated with misusing food for emotional reasons. They range from chronic dieting to compulsive overeating and often involve behaviors ranging from bingeing and purging to self-starvation. Eating disorders are common among the college age population. The majority of individuals with eating disorders are women (about 90%) although men can also have eating disorders. The most frequent problem is chronic dieting, followed by compulsive overeating, bulimia, and anorexia nervosa.
Emotional Disturbance: many terms are used interchangeably to classify children who exhibit extreme or unacceptable chronic behavior problems. These children lag behind their age-mates in social development and are often isolated from others either because they withdraw from social contact or because they behave in an aggressive, hostile manner. Behavior disorders result from persistent negative social interactions between the child and the environment. Behavior disorders generally consist of four clusters of traits, including conduct disorders, anxiety-withdrawal, immaturity, and socialized aggression.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: a condition affecting the children of mothers who consume large quantities of alcohol during pregnancy; it can involve cognitive delays, attention-related difficulties, and physical and emotional disability. Deficits range from mild to severe, including growth retardation, brain damage, mental retardation, anomalies of the face, and heart failure.
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Generalized Anxiety Disorders: an anxiety disorder which results in a continuous state of anxiety or fear, lasting a month or more, marked by signs of motor tension, autonomic hyperactivity (a pounding heart), constant apprehension, and difficulties in concentration. Those who suffer from generalized anxiety disorders describe a chronic, exaggerated, unprovoked state of worry and tension, often accompanied by physical symptoms (trembling, twitching, headaches, irritability, sweating, hot flashes, nausea, lump in throat). Anxiety disorders, if untreated, often lead to depression.
Gender Identity Disorder: a condition in which individuals feel extremely uncomfortable in the male or female sex they were born into and instead identify with/desire to be someone of the other sex. Children with this disorder may refuse to dress in the clothes typically worn by boys or girls, ask to be called by a name of the other gender, have a hard time making friends with same-sex peers or insist that they will grow up to be a member of the opposite gender. Adults, meanwhile, may be preoccupied with living life as closely as possible to a member of the other sex. They may adopt the mannerisms, dress and physical appearance of the other sex in public and/or private. In cases that have persisted for many years, some may ultimately request gender reassignment surgery. Regardless of identification, persons with this disorder may be attracted to men, women, both men and women, or neither men nor women.
Hallucinations: abnormal auditory (hearing), olfactory (smelling), visual (seeing), gustatory (tasting), or kinesthetic (feeling) perceptions which are common symptoms of schizophrenia; most common are the hallucinations which involve hearing voices or seeing objects that do not actually exist.
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Hyperactivity: behavior marked by high levels of activity and restlessness. Such behavior is usually recognized as a problem once the child is expected to sit and attend for a significant period of time, as in a classroom environment. See also attention-deficit disorders.
Hypomania: an episode in which the individual experiences a mild form of mania (emotional highs, scattered thoughts, over-activity). Such an episode does not markedly impair an individual's social and vocational functioning, and does not necessarily indicate the presence of bipolar disorder. Hypomania can be drug-induced.
Impulse-Control Disorder: a condition in which feel an irresistible and repeated urge to perform behaviors that may harm themselves or others. These impulsive behaviors may range from pulling out your own hair to gambling to starting fires. Sufferers may be aware that these actions are harmful but, like an itch, tension grows until they perform the act and feel a sense of relief or thrill. Impulse-control disorders include trichotillomania, kleptomania, pyromania, intermittent explosive disorder (IED) and pathological gambling.
Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED): a condition in which generally non-violent people experience sudden outbursts of aggression, lashing out at others or damaging objects. The events that set them off are usually small and do not come close to warranting such a reaction. However, these people find that they cannot stop themselves from acting this way and often regret their actions afterwards. Experts estimate that the disorder affects between four and 7.3 percent of the population and may be behind some cases of domestic violence and "road rage." To qualify as IED, an individual must have experienced at least three of these incidents. Drug/alcohol intake and other mental illnesses such as Borderline Personality Disorder must be also ruled out as the cause of these outbursts.
Kleptomania: a rare impulse-control disorder in which individuals feel a persistent urge to steal and a sense of tension that is relieved only by theft. Contrary to popular belief, kleptomaniacs do not steal for personal or financial gain but rather for the tension release or rush of the act.
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Language Disorders: an impairment in a specific mental process which affects learning. The Association for Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities defines Specific Learning Disabilities as a chronic condition of presumed neurological origin which selectively interferes with the development, integration, and/or demonstration of verbal and/or nonverbal abilities. Specific Learning Disabilities exists as a distinct handicapping condition in the presence of average to superior intelligence, adequate sensory and motor systems, and adequate learning opportunities. The condition varies in its manifestations and in degree of severity. Throughout life the condition can affect self-esteem, education, vocation, socialization, and/or daily living activities.
Mania: a symptom of bipolar disorder characterized by exaggerated excitement, physical over-activity, and profuse and rapidly changing ideas (scattered or tangential thoughts). A person in a manic state feels an emotional high and generally follows their impulses.
Multiple Personality Disorders: a rare dissociative disorder marked by the appearance, within one person, of two or more distinct personalities (multiple personalities), each with its own name, history, and traits. Each of the multiple alternative personalities are usually fully integrated with consistent patterns of behavior and attitudes.
Neurosis: Freud's terms for a psychological disorder characterized by self-punishing, maladaptive behavior, emotional symptoms, or physical symptoms that protect a person against unconscious anxiety. It is no longer used as a clinical diagnosis.
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Obsessions: persistent, unwanted, unpleasant, and intrusive thoughts, images, or impulses that repeatedly well up in the mind of the obsessive-compulsive disorder sufferer and cause a high degree of anxiety. Some examples of obsessions include fear of being contaminated with germs, repeated doubts (is the stove on?), aggressive impulses, or sexual images. See also compulsions.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: a neurobiological anxiety disorder affecting more than 2% of the population, equally distributed among males and females. Symptoms typically begin during the teenage years and early adulthood, but up to one-third of cases begin in childhood. Sufferers of OCD experience both obsessions and compulsions. Sufferers are usually aware of their problems and struggle to control their obsessive-compulsive symptoms, but their resistance usually weakens over the years.
Oppositional-Defiant Disorder: a disorder of early to middle childhood that may evolve into a conduct disorder, usually diagnosed before the age of twelve; children with oppositional defiant disorder defy adult rules, are angry, and often lose their tempers
Panic Attack / Panic Disorder: a stress-related, brief feeling of intense fear and impending doom or death, accompanied by intense physiological symptoms such as rapid breathing and pulse, sweaty palms, smothering sensations, shortness of breath, choking sensations, and dizziness. These panic attacks can happen very frequently and leave the individual emotionally drained. Sufferers often live in fear of having another panic attack and develop avoidance (phobic) behaviors. Sufferers often consult physicians many times thinking they are having a heart attack or asthma attack. See also Anxiety Disorders.
Personality Disorders: disorders in which maladaptive personality patterns cause personal distress or inability to get along with others. These inflexible ways of interacting often remain constant despite aging, different environments, and medication, and often cause serious difficulties for the disordered individual. See also borderline personality and compulsive personality.
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Phobias: persistent fear of specific things or situations which lead to avoidance of such things or situations. Some common examples of phobias are fears of dogs, insects, snakes, driving, heights, tunnels, bridges, thunderstorms, or flying. See also agoraphobia, social phobia, and school phobia.
Postpartum Depression: a common mood disorder affecting approximately 15 percent of women during the first year after childbirth. Hormonal changes can lead to chemical changes in the brain which cause "the baby blues" in the 50 to 80 percent of mothers who experience temporary mood instability, feelings of sadness, difficulty concentrating, loss of appetite or difficulty sleeping during this time. For most, these symptoms clear up within 10 days and, when moderate, are considered a normal part of post-pregnancy recovery. However, in women experiencing postpartum depression, symptoms last longer or are more severe.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD): an anxiety disorder in which symptoms develop following a psychologically distressing event that is outside the normal range of human experiences (military combat, sexual assault, natural disasters, severe auto accidents). The essential features of PTSD include increased arousal, re-experiencing of a traumatic event, and avoidance of stimuli associated with the traumatic event. The symptoms include continued flashbacks, nightmares, and intense distress when exposed to an object or situation that is related to the traumatic event.
Psychosis / Psychotic Disorders: an extreme mental disturbance that involves an actual break with reality, involving distorted perceptions of reality and irrational behavior, often accompanied by hallucinations and delusions. The disturbance may have either psychological or organic causes. Childhood schizophrenia and autism are forms of psychosis.
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Pyromania: an impulse-control disorder, pyromania is an obsession with fires and a repeated urge to start them. Before setting a fire, sufferers may feel tense or excited, then experience relief or thrill after completing the act. They may also be fascinated by firefighting and in particular, the efforts taken to extinguish their own blazes. Pyromaniacs are different from people who set fires for insurance money, revenge or other rational reasons and do not plan their fires in advance.
Schizophrenia: a psychotic disorder marked by some or all of these symptoms: delusions, hallucinations, incoherent word associations, inappropriate emotions, or lack of emotions. It is characterized by serious disturbances of thought and perception which cannot be attributed to brain damage. A separation or loosening of associations, as between feelings and thoughts, is believed to underlie the unusual behavior that is exhibited.
Separation Anxiety: intense anxiety experienced by children whenever they are separated from their parents.
Self-Harm: a condition in which a person purposefully injures his or her own body by cutting, scratching, bruising, or burning themselves. In extreme cases, they may swallow or insert sharp objects into their bodies or break their own bones. Self-harm is not the same as suicidal behavior. These people are not trying to end their lives, but may find that hurting their bodies helps relieve tension, counter a sense of numbness, distract them from problems or otherwise cope with emotional discomfort. Such actions only provide temporary relief however, and may result in a self-destructive cycle. Self-harm is most common in adolescents and young adults and recent studies have reported that as many as 11 percent of teenage females and three percent of teenage males have engaged in self-harming behavior. Also called self-mutilation, self-injury, self-abuse and cutting.
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Social Phobia: persistent anxiety regarding social or performance situations due to a fear of embarrassment. Social phobias can drive sufferers to drop out of school, avoid making friends, or loose their job. Public speaking, meeting new people, going to parties, and going to school or work can provoke feelings of anxiety in sufferers of social phobia. See also agoraphobia and school phobia.
Speech Disorders: oral communication that exhibits poor or abnormal use of the vocal system. Speech is unintelligible or so inferior that it draws attention to itself and causes anxiety, feelings of inadequacy, or inappropriate behavior in the speaker.
Tourette Syndrome: a neurobiological disorder characterized by tics (involuntary, rapid, sudden movements and/or vocal outbursts that occur repeatedly). The symptoms change periodically in number, frequency, type, and severity - even disappearing for weeks or months at a time. Some common examples of motor tics include eye blinking, head jerking, shoulder shrugging, and facial grimacing. Vocal tics include throat clearing, barking noises, sniffing, and tongue clicking.
Trichotillomania: an impulse-control disorder which causes people to feel an irresistible urge to pull out the hair on their scalp, eyebrows and other parts of the body, resulting in noticeable hair loss. Although symptoms often first appear in early adolescence, trichotillomania may affect people of all ages and seems to worsen under stress. Not surprisingly, the disturbance often results in social distress and may interfere with work. Treatments for trichotillomania include cognitive-behavioral therapy, Habit Reversal Training, medication and alternative therapies.