Glossary

Many misunderstandings in the depiction of people with mental illnesses have arisen from misunderstanding of the vocabulary of mental illnesses, or inaccuracies in that vocabulary’s use. The following glossary has been developed from The American Psychiatric Association’s Psychiatric Glossary and a list prepared by the Mental Health Association in Los Angeles County, of preferred and misunderstood terms used to describe mental illnesses. The glossary contains examples of both proper language and language that perpetuates misunderstanding and stigma.

Those marked with an asterisk (*) are examples of outmoded, inaccurate and stigmatizing language.

Addiction

Dependence on a chemical substance to the extent that a physiological or strong psychological need is established. The need appears as withdrawal symptoms when the substance is removed. Narcotics, alcohol, nicotine and most sedative drugs may produce addiction.

AIDS-related dementia

One of the syndromes commonly associated with infection by the AIDS virus. AIDS-related dementia, which is caused by the disease’s effect on the central nervous system, usually begins with impaired concentration and mild memory loss and is often misdiagnosed as depression or as a psychological response to the threat of impending death. Over a period of several weeks or months, the syndrome causes severe deterioration in mental functioning and motor control.

Alcoholism

A chronic illness evidenced by compulsive, repeated drinking that injures one’s health and social and economic functioning.

Alzheimer’s disease

A progressive, irreversible disease, most prevalent late in life, characterized by deterioration of the brain cells and leading to impaired mental functioning.

Anorexia nervosa

An eating disorder characterized by severe and prolonged refusal to eat, extreme weight loss, distorted body image, termination of the menstural cycle or impotence, and intense fear of becoming obese; most often occurs in girls and young women.

Antidepressants

A wide range of medications used principally to prevent or relieve the symptoms of depression. Antidepressants can’t make someone feel better than he/she normally does, but they can help him/her feel as good as he/she did before becoming depressed. These medications include the benzodiazepines, beta-blocks, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) and tricyclics.

Anxiety

Anxiety and fear are often used to describe the same thing. When the word “anxiety” is used to discuss a group of mental illnesses (anxiety disorders), it refers to an unpleasant and overriding inner emotional tension that has no apparent identifiable cause. Fear, on the other, causes emotional tension due to to specific, external reason. Anxiety disorders include phobias, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. These disorders are severe enough to interfere with social or occupational functioning.

Asylum*

An outmoded term for hospitals specializing in the treatment of mental illnesses.

Attention Deficit Disorder

A childhood disorder characterized by short attention span and poor concentration.

Autism

A condition caused by a physical disorder of the brain that appears during the first three years of life. Symptoms include disturbances in physical, social and language skills; abnormal responses to sensations; and abnormal ways of relating to people, objects and events.

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Behavior Therapy

A form of treatment based on the theory that a troubled person’s behavior results from learned bad habits. This type of therapy seeks to modify such behavior by teaching new adaptive skills.

Benzodiazepines

A class of medications that has a tranquilizing effect by depressing the central nervous system.

Bipolar (Manic-Depressive) Disorder

A major affective or mood disorder in which there are episodes of both mania and severe, disabling depression. Psychiatric researchers believe it is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain.

Bulimia

A disorder characterized by compulsive eating binges followed by some effort to counteract the weight gain that would result from these binges—usually vomiting, but often excessive exercising, fasting or use of diet pills, laxatives or diuretics. Over concern with weight and body shape are also symptoms of bulimia. It is often accompanied by depression.

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Chronic

Continuing over a long period of time or recurring frequently. Chronic conditions often begin inconspicuously and symptoms are less pronounced than in acute conditions

Cognitive Therapy

A treatment method based on the theory that negative thinking, perception and attitude cause psychological disturbances, especially depression, and that these problems can be corrected through rational understanding.

Combat Fatigue*

Along with “battle fatigue” and “shell-shock”, this is an outmoded term of post-traumatic stress disorder. If used, “battle fatigue,” “combat fatigue” and “shell-shock” are misleading in that they lead people to believe that PTSD is a condition arising only from the trauma of war. Actually, it is a condition much more common to victims of accidents, rape and other forms of domestic violence.

Compulsion

An insistent, repetitive and unwanted urge to perform an act as a means of relieving anxiety. However ritualistic behavior, such as repeated hand washing, is not related realistically to what the person is trying to avoid.

Confidentiality

The ethical principle that a physician may not reveal any information disclosed in the course of medical treatment.

Crack

A street name for rock-like pieces or pellet-sized chips of cocaine. Crack is smoked, creating an intensely euphoric feeling in the user within 4 to 6 seconds, followed by an overwhelming low period within 5 to 7 minutes. Crack is more addictive than heroin and produces many side effects, including a dramatic rise in blood pressure, heart rate and temperature; narrowing of the arteries to restrict blood flow to the heart, possibly causing a heart attack; erratic and ineffective heart beat, possibly resulting in death; and respiratory failure.

Crazy*

Along with numerous terms—such as “nuts,” “wacko,” “looney” or bonkers—these are generic, insulting terms used to describe mentally ill people or people who are acting in an eccentric manner. Not only are they denigrating, they are also inaccurate catch-all terms, lumping all mental illnesses together. Specific mental illnesses have specific symptoms, and specific names.

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Delirium Tremens (DTs)

An acute and sometimes fatal brain disorder (in 10 to 15 percent of untreated cases) caused by total or partial withdrawal from excessive alcohol intake. Usually developing 24 to 96 hours after a person stops drinking, it is a medical emergency. Symptoms include fever, tremors, failure of muscle coordination and sometimes convulsions, frightening delusions and hallucinations. The disorder is often accompanied by nutritional deficiencies.

Delusion

A false belief persistently held despite indisputable and obvious proof to the contrary. The belief id not one ordinarily accepted by other members of the person’s culture. Examples are delusions of grandeur or of persecution.

Dementia

A disorder in which there is loss or impairment of mental powers due to organic causes (physical disease) and severe enough to interfere with work or social functioning. Memory disturbance is the most prominent symptom. Other symptoms include personality change and impairment of abstract thinking, judgment and control of impulses. Dementia may be progressive, static or reversible, depending on the particular conditions of the disease and its treatment.

Depression

When used to describe a mood, depression refers to what may be normal feelings of sadness, despair and discouragement. Most serious depression may be a symptom of a variety of physical and mental disorders, a syndrome of associated symptoms secondary to an underlying disorder or it may itself be a specific mental disorder. The disorder known as major depression is characterized by slowed thinking, decreased purposeful physical activity, sleep and appetite disturbances, low self-esteem, loss of sex drive and feelings guilt and hopelessness.

Diagnosis

The process of determining the nature of a case, disease or illness by examining the signs and symptoms.

Dopamine

A neurotransmitter (brain chemical). Disturbance in the level of dopamine may be associated with some forms of psychosis such as schizophrenia and with abnormal movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Research suggests that neurons sensitive to dopamine may play an important role in the positive reinforcing properties of cocaine and the opiate drugs.

Down’s Syndrome

The preferred term used for what was once known as Mongolism, a common form of mental retardation caused by a chromosomal abnormality. In addition to mental deficiency, the disease is characterized by a broad face with widely spaced, slanting eyes, small flat-backed head, lax joints, flabby hands, small ears and congenital abnormalities of the heart.

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Eating Disorders

Marked disturbance in eating behavior, including, among others, overeating, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and pica.

Ego

In psychoanalytic theory, one of the three major divisions in the psyche, the others being id and the superego. Psychiatric use of the term should not be confused with common usage, which usually connotes self-love or selfishness.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

Use of electric current applied to the brain to induce convulsive seizures. This form of therapy is most effective in the treatment of major depression, particularly for patients who cannot take medications due to heart conditions, old age, severe malnourishment or inability to respond to antidepressant drugs. An anesthetic and muscle relaxant are used to protect patients from injury or pain. “Electroconvulsive therapy” or “ECT” are the preferred terms over “shock treatment.”

Epilepsy

A disorder characterized by periodic motor or sensory seizures, or their equivalents, resulting from abnormal electrical discharge generated within the brain; sometimes accompanied by a loss of consciousness. Some cases of epilepsy have a known organic cause, while others are a result of organic injury.

Euphoria

An exaggerated feeling of emotional and physical well being, usually of psychological origin. This condition is seen in organic mental disorders, toxic and drug-induced states and mania.

Exhibitionism

A paraphilia in which sexual gratification is derived from exposure of one’s genitals to a person in socially unacceptable situations. More common in males than in females.

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Family Therapy

A form of psychotherapy which treats the family rather than the individual, bringing the entire family together for therapeutic sessions. This type of therapy is based on the theory that improvement of communication and emotional expression among family members promotes understanding and cooperation

Fear

A normal emotion and physiological response to recognized external sources of danger. Fear is characterized by alarm, apprehension, or agitation. Unrealistic fears are common in a variety of psychiatric conditions.

Fetishism

A paraphilia in which any nonsexual object, such as a foot or glove, abnormally excites erotic feelings.

Freud, Sigmund (1856-1939)

An Austrian neurologist recognized as the founder of psychoanalysis.

Frigid

A term commonly used to describe a woman who is unable to achieve orgasm through physical stimulation, or who is repelled by sexual activity. May be caused by any number of physical, psychological or interpersonal problems.

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Group Therapy

A form of psychotherapy for a group of patients— usually 6 to 8— who may have similar or different problems. The technique involves interaction among members by means of mutual discussion, criticism, role playing and interpretation of behaviors seen in the group.

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Hallucinations

The false perception of a sight, sound, taste, smell or touch when no actual stimulus is present. Hallucination also refers to the imaginary object apparently seen and heard.

Homicidal Maniac*

Phrase used often by public communicators to describe multiple murderers. Its widespread use has perpetuated the myth that mentally ill people are always violent.

Hyperactive*

An outmoded term usually used to describe children who have a mental illness called attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD).

Hysterics*

A lay term for uncontrollable emotional outbursts.

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Idiot Savant

A person with gross mental retardation who nonetheless is capable of performing remarkable feats in certain intellectual areas, such as calendar calculation, mathematics, puzzle solving and even musical talents.

Insane*

An obsolete term used colloquially to describe a person with a mental disorder. Now a legal term applied by the courts to a person who, because of mental disease or mental retardation, was unable to appreciate the wrongfulness or criminality of his conduct at the time of an offense, or in some jurisdictions, unable to control his/her actions.

Insomnia

the unusually prolonged inability to fall asleep, difficulty staying asleep, and/or early morning awakening.

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Jekyll-and-Hyde

Often equated with split personality and incorrectly identified as a symptom of schizophrenia. The reference to split personality more accurately describes someone who has “multiple personality disorder.”

Jung, Carl (1875-1961)

A Swiss psychotherapist and founder of the school of analytical psychology, which postulates a collective unconscious of mankind.

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Kleptomania

A disorder in which the sufferer has the compulsion to steal.

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Libido

Psychic energy in general; commonly used to refer to sexual drive.

Lobotomy

A form of neurosurgery that was used in the past to treat schizophrenia and a few other mental illnesses. The advent of highly effective psychiatric medications has eliminated lobotomy as a treatment for mental illness.

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Mania*

A mood disorder characterized by excessive elation or irritability, hyperactivity, hypersexuality, poor concentration and accelerated thinking and speaking, and resulting in impairment. Mania is seen in major disorders involving disturbance of mood and in organic mental disorders. Often, the term is used inaccurately to indicate a passionate attachment to something (i.e., “She has a mania for chocolate.”) and a slight state of excitement.

Maniac*

An outmoded term for a person afflicted with mental illness. In the past, it usually referred to a highly excited person or a person with an inordinate, uncontrollable passion for or obsession with some thing or someone.

Manic-Depressive Disorder

See bipolar disorder.

MAOIs (Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors)

A class of antidepressant medications usually prescribed for people who have not responded to tricyclics, or who have certain forms of depression with symptoms including an increase in weight, appetite or sleep. MAOIs may also be used for cases of mixed anxiety and depression, depression accompanied by pain, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar depression. People taking MAOIs must adhere to a special diet because of the interaction of the medications with certain foods.

Masochism

A paraphilia in which pleasure is derived from physical or psychological pain inflicted on oneself or by others. When it is consciously sought as a part of the sexual act or as a prerequisite of sexual gratification, it is classified as a paraphilia.

Megalomania

An abnormal preoccupation with delusions of grandeur, wealth and power.

Meloncholia*

An outmoded term used formerly to describe the “extreme depression of spirits” that psychiatrists now see as part of depression and manic-depressive (bipolar) illness.

Mental illnesses

A broad range of disorders with psychological or behavioral symptoms and/or impairment in functioning due to a social, psychological, generic, physical/chemical or biological disturbance.

Multiple Personality

A rare type of dissociative state in which a person adopts two or more personalities. Dissociative disorders involve a sudden, temporary change in normally integrated functions of consciousness, identity or motor behavior, so that some part of one or more of these functions is lost.

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Necromania

An abnormal preoccupation with dead people.

Nervous Breakdown*

An inexact, out-of-date term most likely referring to an episode of clinical depression.

Neuroleptics

A range of medications used to treat psychotic illnesses.

Neuron

A nerve cell.

Neurosis

An emotional disorder that arises due to unresolved conflicts, anxiety being the chief characteristic. In contrast to the psychoses, neuroses do not involve gross distortions of reality.

Neurotransmitter

A chemical found in the nervous system that facilitates the transmission of impulses across synapses, or gaps, between neurons. Examples of neurotransmitters are dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin.

Nymphomania*

An abnormal or obsessive need or desire by a woman for sexual intercourse. This condition in men is known as satyriasis. Sometimes, the term “nymphomaniac” is used as a derogatory term for a woman who is openly sexual.

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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

A type of anxiety disorder marked by the persistent intrusion of unwanted and uncontrollable thoughts. Commonly, patients who suffer from obsessions also suffer from compulsions—repeated, senseless rituals victims go through in an attempt to reduce their anxiety. While compulsive behavior is almost always preceded by obsessive thoughts, some people have obsessive thoughts but do not ritualize.

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Panic Disorder

A type of anxiety disorder in which a person suffers intense, overwhelming terror suddenly and for no apparent reason. The fear is accompanied by such physical symptoms as shortness of breath, heart palpitations, chest discomfort, choking or smothering sensations, unsteadiness, feelings of unreality, tingling, and fear of losing control, dying or going crazy.

Paraphilia

Condition in which persistent and repetitive sexually arousing fantasies of an unusual nature are associated with either preference for or use of a nonhuman object for sexual arousal (fetishism, transvestism), repetitive sexual suffering or humiliation (sadism, masochism), or repetitive sexual activity with nonconsenting partners (exhibitionism, pedophilia, voyeurism).

Paranoia*

A rare condition characterized by the gradual development of an intricate, complex and elaborate system of thinking based on (and often proceeding logically from) misinterpretation of an actual event. A person with paranoia often considers him or herself endowed with unique and superior abilities, and may also have the delusion that others are conspiring to do him or her harm. The term is often used inaccurately to describe someone with unfounded fears of persecution, (i.e. “Oh, you’re just being paranoid. The boss isn’t out to get you!”)

Parkinson’s Disease

A disorder of the nervous system characterized by rapid tremors, pill-rolling movements, masklike expression, rigidity, drooling, reduced movement, slowness of physical and mental responses; and disturbance of gait. Parkinsonism is associated with a depletion of dopamine, a chemical in the brain.

Pedophilia

A paraphilia in which children are the preferred sexual partners.

Personality Disorder

A deeply ingrained, inflexible, maladaptive pattern of relating, perceiving and thinking, serious enough to cause distress or impaired functioning. Personality disorders are usually recognizable by adolescence or earlier, continue throughout adulthood and become less obvious in middle or old age. Examples of formally identified personality disorders are antisocial, borderline, compulsive, histronic, dependent, narcissistic, paranoid, passive-aggressive, schizoid and schizotypal.

Phobia

An obsessive, persistent,unrealistic fear of an object or situation. Some common phobias are:Acrophobia (fear of heights)
Agoraphobia (fear of leaving the familiar setting of the home)
Claustrophobia (fear of closed places)
Xenophobia (fear of strangers)

Pica

An eating disorder consisting of the craving for and eating of non-nutritive foods or other substances, such as dirt or paint. Seen in a variety of medical conditions, pregnancy and emotional disturbances.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

A disorder that develops after a person experiences a psychologically distressing event outside the range of human experience—a disaster such as an earthquake, a plane crash, war or rape. PTSD is characterized by re-experiencing the traumatic event, avoidance of stimuli associated with it, or a numbing of general responsiveness that was not present before the trauma.

Prognosis

The prediction of the probable course of an illness.

Psyche

The mind.

Psychiatry

The medical specialty concerned with the origin, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. Physicians specializing in this field—psychiatrists—hold a medical degree and spend four years or more in approved residency training. They must be licensed by their state in order to practice. As physicians, psychiatrists are the only mental health professionals licensed to prescribe medication.

Psychoanalysis

A theory of the psychology of human behavior, a method of research and a system of psychotherapy, originally developed by Sigmund Freud. Through the analysis of free associations and the interpretation of dreams, emotions and behaviors are traced to repressed instinctive drives and to defenses against these drives in the unconscious. The goal of treatment is to eliminate or reduce the undesirable effects of unconscious conflicts by making the patient aware of their existence, origin, and inappropriate expression.

Psychology

An academic discipline, a profession and science dealing with the study of mental processes and behavior of people and animals. A psychologist holds a degree in psychology from an accredited program. Many providers of clinical psychological services are licensed under state law, whereas those who teach or do research are usually exempt from licensure requirements. Licensed psychologists generally hold a doctoral (Ph.D) degree in psychology and have two years of supervised work experience.

Psychosis

A symptom of a major mental disorder of organic or emotional origin, in which the personality is seriously disorganized and contact with reality is usually impaired. The psychotic condition is often characterized by regressive behavior, inappropriate mood, diminished impulse control, delusions or hallucinations.

Psychotherapy

A process in which a person seeks to relieve symptoms of mental disorder, resolve problems in living or achieve personal growth through any various means involving verbal communication with a psychiatrist or other trained mental health professional.

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Sadism

A paraphilia in which pleasure is derived from inflicting pain or abuse on others.

Satyriasis

Pathological or exaggerated sexual drive or excitement in men. (See also nymphomania.)

Schizoid

A term used to refer to a person with a quiet, seclusive, introverted personality; sometimes used incorrectly to refer to a person with schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia

A large group of severe disorders of unknown cause (but considered brain disorders), typically characterized by disturbances of language and communication; thought disturbances that may involve distortion of reality, misperceptions and some thought processes that comprises such repressed material.

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Voyeurism

A paraphilia in which an individual has an often compulsive interest in watching or looking at others, particularly at genitals, for sexual gratification.

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Withdrawal Symptoms

Physical and mental effects resulting from withdrawal of addictive substances from patients who have become addicted to them. The physical symptoms may include-vomiting, tremors, abdominal pain, delirium and convulsions. See also delirium tremens and addiction.

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