Vocabulary & Check Your Knowledge
Mental Health Vocabulary
Addiction
The process of the misuse of medications, alcohol, or illegal substances.
Antisocial personality disorder
Behaviours that are against legal or social norms.
Anxiety
The state of feeling uneasiness, apprehension, worry or dread.
Autism spectrum disorder
An abnormal social interaction that may impact communication.
Bipolar Disorder
A manic-depressive disease that causes extreme shifts in a person’s mood and energy.
Dementia
The progressive loss of memory where someone may lose touch with reality, seem confused and develop a personality change.
Delirium
A state of confusion that is an irrational, agitated state.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
The resource used by healthcare professionals in much of the world to diagnose mental disorders. The DSM contains descriptions of the conditions, symptoms, and other criteria for diagnosing mental disorders.
Dissociative identity disorder
A condition where the person has two or more distinct personalities. It was historically and commonly known as the older term split personality disorder.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
Anxiety which is not related to a specific situation; it is an uneasiness, apprehension, worry or dread reaction to various non-specific situations.
Hallucination
An unreal sensory perception with no external cause; it is not real. However, the client claims they can see, hear, touch, taste, or talk to this sensation.
Mania
A condition of madness, excessive excitement, or frenzy.
Mental health
A state of well-being in which an individual realizes their abilities, can cope with everyday stresses of ones’ life, work productively, and contribute to their community.
Mental disorder
An abnormal condition of the brain or the mind that affects how a person feels, behaves, or relates to others or their surroundings.
Narcissistic personality disorder
When a person has an abnormal sense of self-importance.
Panic disorder
A type of anxiety disorder, often called panic attacks. It causes feelings of terror that occur suddenly and repeatedly without any warning.
Phobias
A condition of irrational fear.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Occurs after a traumatic event. It is an extended emotional response with flashbacks, nightmares, and often insomnia.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
A form of depression that appears related to the fluctuations in the client’s exposure to natural sunlight.
Psychiatry
Deals with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental disorders.
Psychiatrist
One who specializes in the treatment of the mind.
Psychology
The study of human behaviour and thought processes of the mind; it studies understanding how humans interact with their physical environment and each other.
Psychologist
A person who specializes in the study of the mind.
Psychotherapy
A method of treating mental disorders using psychological techniques instead of physical methods. It can involve talking, interpret