Terms beginning with "I"

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.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P S V W

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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