Introduction
Below is a glossary of terms table organised alphabetically from A to Z. This table is populated with Terms and definitions of Mental Health issues.
This table helps to understand the terminology associated with Mental Illness and to simplify the terms that are mentioned to you by a medical professional. This glossary provides definitions of those terms of Mental Illness conditions.
| Letter | Term | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| A | ||
Addiction |
A chronic condition characterized by compulsive drug use or engagement in harmful behaviors despite negative consequences. | |
Agoraphobia |
An anxiety disorder involving fear of situations where escape may be difficult, often leading to avoidance of public places. |
|
Antidepressant |
A type of medication used to treat depression and other mood disorders by balancing brain chemicals. |
|
Anorexia Nervosa |
An eating disorder characterized by extreme weight loss, fear of gaining weight, and distorted body image. |
|
Anxiety Disorder |
A group of mental disorders marked by excessive worry, fear, or nervousness that interferes with daily life. |
|
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) |
A neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. |
|
| B | ||
Bipolar Disorder |
A mental health condition causing extreme mood swings, including manic and depressive episodes. |
|
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) |
A disorder marked by unstable relationships, impulsive behaviors, and intense emotions. |
|
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) |
A condition where individuals obsess over perceived flaws in their appearance. |
|
Burnout |
Emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress, often related to work or caregiving. |
|
| C | ||
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) |
A therapy that helps people change negative thought patterns and behaviours. |
|
Compulsion |
A repetitive behaviour performed to relieve anxiety, commonly seen in OCD. |
|
Cyclothymia |
A mild form of bipolar disorder with mood swings between hypomania and mild depression. |
|
Catatonia |
A condition associated with schizophrenia and other disorders, characterized by lack of movement or abnormal posturing. |
|
| D | ||
Delusion |
A strongly held false belief resistant to reason, common in psychotic disorders. |
|
Depersonalization |
A feeling of detachment from oneself, as if watching from outside the body. |
|
Depression |
A mood disorder involving persistent sadness, loss of interest, and fatigue. |
|
Derealization |
A dissociative symptom where the world feels unreal or distorted. |
|
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) |
A disorder where a person has two or more distinct identities or personalities. |
|
Dual Diagnosis |
The coexistence of a mental illness and substance use disorder. |
|
| E | ||
Eating Disorder |
A category of mental illnesses involving abnormal eating behaviours, such as anorexia and bulimia. |
|
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) |
A treatment for severe depression that involves controlled electrical stimulation of the brain. |
|
Emotional Dysregulation |
Difficulty managing emotional responses, often seen in BPD and mood disorders. |
|
Exposure Therapy |
A form of CBT used to treat phobias and PTSD by gradually exposing individuals to feared stimuli. |
|
| F | ||
Flashbacks |
Vivid, distressing memories of past trauma, commonly experienced in PTSD. |
|
Fight/Flight/Freeze Response |
The body’s automatic response to perceived danger, often overactive in anxiety disorders. |
|
Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) |
A condition where neurological symptoms occur without an identifiable medical cause, often linked to psychological stress. |
|
| G | ||
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) |
A disorder characterized by excessive, uncontrollable worry about everyday events. |
|
Grief |
The emotional suffering that follows loss, which can sometimes develop into prolonged grief disorder. |
|
Guilt Complex |
Persistent feelings of guilt, often irrational or excessive, linked to depression and OCD. |
|
| H | ||
Hallucination |
A false sensory perception, such as hearing voices or seeing things that aren’t there. |
|
Hypervigilance |
A heightened state of alertness, common in PTSD and anxiety disorders. |
|
Hypomania |
A milder form of mania, marked by increased energy and impulsivity without severe impairment. |
|
| I | ||
Insomnia |
Persistent difficulty falling or staying asleep, often associated with anxiety or depression. |
|
Impulse Control Disorder |
A group of disorders, such as kleptomania and pyromania, where individuals struggle to resist harmful urges. |
|
Intrusive Thoughts |
Unwanted, distressing thoughts that repeatedly enter a person's mind, often linked to OCD and PTSD. |
|
| J | ||
Judgment Impairment |
Reduced ability to make sound decisions, often seen in psychosis or substance use disorders. |
|
Jumpiness |
An exaggerated startle response, common in anxiety and PTSD. |
|
| K | ||
Ketamine Therapy |
A treatment using low doses of ketamine to help manage severe depression and PTSD. |
|
Kleptomania |
An impulse control disorder characterized by compulsive stealing. |
|
| L | ||
Low Self-Esteem |
A negative self-view that can contribute to anxiety, depression, and social withdrawal. |
|
Labile Mood |
Rapid and unpredictable mood changes, common in BPD and bipolar disorder. |
|
| M | ||
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) |
A severe form of depression that significantly impairs daily functioning. |
|
Mania |
A state of heightened energy, euphoria, or irritability, often seen in bipolar disorder. |
|
Mental Health Stigma |
Negative attitudes and discrimination against people with mental illnesses. |
|
A practice of focusing on the present moment to reduce stress and anxiety. |
||
| N | ||
Neurotransmitters |
Chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin and dopamine, that influence mood and mental health. |
|
Nightmares |
Distressing dreams that can be linked to PTSD, anxiety, or depression. |
|
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) |
A personality disorder marked by an inflated sense of self-importance and lack of empathy. |
|
| O | ||
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) |
A disorder marked by intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviours (compulsions). |
|
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) |
A behavioural disorder characterized by defiance, hostility, and disobedience in children and adolescents. |
|
A process of excessively analyzing, worrying, or dwelling on a situation, decision, or thought to the point that it becomes overwhelming and counterproductive. |
||
| P | ||
Panic Disorder |
A disorder characterized by sudden, intense episodes of fear known as panic attacks. |
|
Phobia |
An intense, irrational fear of a specific object or situation. |
|
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) |
A mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. |
|
| Q | ||
Quetiapine |
An antipsychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression. |
|
| R | ||
Rumination |
The habit of obsessively thinking about negative experiences or emotions. |
|
Resilience |
The ability to adapt and recover from stress or adversity. |
|
| S | ||
Schizophrenia |
A severe mental disorder affecting thought processes, emotions, and perceptions. |
|
Self-Harm |
Deliberate injury to oneself as a coping mechanism for emotional distress. |
|
Social Anxiety Disorder |
An intense fear of social situations that interferes with daily life. |
|
Stress |
The body’s response to emotional, physical, or mental pressure, which can be acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term). |
|
Substance Use Disorder (SUD) |
A condition where a person is unable to control their use of substances like drugs or alcohol, despite negative consequences. |
|
Suicidal Ideation |
Thoughts about, considering, or planning suicide, often linked to severe depression or other mental health conditions. |
|
Sleep Disorder |
A condition that disrupts normal sleep patterns, including insomnia, narcolepsy, and sleep apnea. |
|
| T | ||
Therapeutic Alliance |
The relationship between a therapist and client that fosters trust and healing. |
|
Trichotillomania |
A compulsive hair-pulling disorder. |
|
Tardive Dyskinesia (TD) |
A movement disorder caused by long-term use of certain psychiatric medications, leading to involuntary facial or body movements. |
|
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) |
A non-invasive brain stimulation therapy used to treat depression and other mental health disorders. |
|
Trigger |
A stimulus (event, memory, or situation) that causes emotional distress or reactivates symptoms of mental illness, such as PTSD. |
|
| U | ||
Unipolar Depression |
Another term for major depressive disorder, involving persistent low mood. |
|
Unconscious Mind |
The part of the mind that operates outside of conscious awareness, influencing emotions and behaviours. |
|
| V | ||
Vulnerability Factors |
Aspects of life, such as genetics or trauma, that increase mental illness risk. |
|
Vicarious Trauma |
Emotional distress experienced by individuals exposed to the trauma of others, often seen in caregivers or first responders. |
|
| W | ||
Withdrawal Syndrome |
A set of physical and psychological symptoms experienced when stopping or reducing the use of an addictive substance. |
|
| X | ||
| Y | ||
| Z | ||
Zoloft (Sertraline) |
A common antidepressant used to treat depression, anxiety, and OCD. |