Mental health disorders are complex. There are many terms that describe its treatments, symptoms, and more. For many people, trying to keep them all straight can be confusing or overwhelming.
To help, we have defined common terms related to mental health and mental health disorders.1-2
A
Addiction
A compulsive need to engage in a substance or behavior.
Affect
The outward display of facial expressions, body language, and vocal tones that reflect a person's emotional state and mood.
Amygdala
A small, almond-shaped cluster of neurons within the brain. This part of the brain plays a role in processing emotions and memory.
Anhedonia
The inability to experience pleasure or interest in activities that were once enjoyable.
Antidepressants
Medicines prescribed to help with symptoms of depression and related disorders.
Antipsychotics
A class of medicines used to treat conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. These medicines help manage symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking.
Antisocial personality disorder
A mental health disorder that involves a pattern of disregard for the rights and feelings of others, a lack of empathy, manipulative behavior, and a tendency to engage in impulsive and often harmful actions without guilt or remorse.
Anxiety disorders
A group of mental health conditions marked by excessive and persistent feelings of fear and worry.
Attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
A neurodevelopmental disorder that involves trouble sustaining attention, controlling impulses, and regulating activity levels.
Atypical antipsychotics
A class of medicines used to treat mental health conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Avolition
A lack of motivation or interest in engaging in activities.
B
Benzodiazepines
A class of medicines prescribed to manage anxiety, insomnia, and certain medical conditions. These medicines have a calming effect on the central nervous system.
Bipolar disorder
A mental health disorder characterized by extreme mood swings. It typically includes periods of high energy (mania) and low mood (depression). There are several different types of bipolar disorder.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD)
A disorder characterized by unstable relationships, emotions, and self-image. It also often involves impulsive behaviors and intense mood swings.
C
Cerebellum
A part of the brain responsible for voluntary movements, balance, and posture. It also plays a role in certain brain functions.
Cerebrum
The largest and most developed part of the brain. It is responsible for thinking, memory, perception, and voluntary muscle movements.
Chronic
A condition or state that persists over an extended period of time.
Cognition
The mental processes and abilities involved in acquiring, processing, understanding, and using information. Cognition refers to thinking, reasoning, problem-solving, memory, and decision-making.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
A type of therapy that helps people identify and change negative thought patterns and behaviors. This can improve their overall mental well-being.
Compulsions
Repetitive behaviors or mental acts that a person feels driven to perform in response to obsessive thoughts. It is often a way to reduce distress or prevent a feared event or situation. Compulsions are common in conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Counseling
A form of therapy where people discuss their challenges and emotions with a trained counselor. The goal is to find solutions and better ways to cope.
D
Delusion
A false and unfounded belief that is not in line with reality.
Depressant
A substance that slows down the activity of the central nervous system. Depressants result in relaxation, decreased alertness, and reduced physiological responses. They include alcohol and certain medicines.
Depression
A persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest or pleasure in activities. Depression also often involves changes in appetite and sleep patterns.
Depressive episode
A period in which a person has feelings of sadness, emptiness, and a lack of interest or pleasure in activities.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5)
A classification system published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). The manual provides standardized criteria and definitions for mental health disorders. It helps doctors and mental health professionals accurately identify and diagnose psychological conditions.
E
Eating disorder
A mental health condition marked by unhealthy eating behaviors and distorted body image. Its effect on a person’s eating patterns can have serious physical and psychological consequences. Examples of eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder.
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
A medical treatment that triggers controlled seizures with electrical currents applied to the brain. The aim is to provide relief from mental health disorder symptoms.
F
Frontal lobe
A region at the front of the brain responsible for higher cognitive functions; sometimes called executive functions. These functions include decision-making, problem-solving, planning, personality expression, and controlling voluntary movements.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
A noninvasive neuroimaging technique that measures brain activity and patterns that are linked to certain cognitive tasks and mental processes.
G
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
A chronic mental health condition marked by excessive and persistent worry about various aspects of life.
Genetic disposition
The increased likelihood of inheriting certain traits, characteristics, or predispositions to specific conditions from your biological parents due to genetic factors.
Grandiosity
An exaggerated sense of one's own importance, abilities, or achievements. People who are having a manic episode with bipolar disorder often experience grandiosity.
Grief
An emotional response to the loss of someone or something significant. Grief can involve a range of feelings, such as sadness, anger, longing, and emotional pain.
H
Hallucination
Hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling, or tasting things that are not really there. Hearing voices is an example of a hallucination. This is often a symptom of mental health conditions like schizophrenia.
Hippocampus
A region in the brain that plays a crucial role in memory formation, spatial navigation, and learning. This part of the brain is associated with conditions that involve memory.
Hormones
Chemical messengers produced by glands in the body. The glands release the hormones into the bloodstream to regulate various things like growth, metabolism, mood, and reproductive functions.
Hypothalamus
A small but vital part of the brain that helps regulate body temperature, hunger, thirst, and sleep patterns. It also controls the release of hormones from the pituitary gland.
L
Limbic system
A group of interconnected brain structures that play a role in processing emotions, memory, motivation, and other brain functions. The limbic system includes the amygdala and hippocampus.
M
Mania
An intense and elevated mood state that may involve feelings of extreme joy or irritability along with high energy. It is one of the mood states that characterizes bipolar disorder.
Mental health
A person's emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Mental health encompasses the ability to handle stress, relate to others, make choices, and navigate life's challenges while maintaining a sense of self.
Mental health disorders
Conditions that affect a person's emotional, cognitive, or behavioral well-being. These disorders can lead to disruptions in thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and daily functioning.
Mood
A person’s emotional state or feeling.
Mood disorders
A category of mental health conditions defined by persistent disruptions in mood. These may include depression (low mood) and/or mania (elevated or irritable mood). Mood disorders can affect a person's emotional well-being and how they function on a daily basis. Bipolar disorder is an example of a mood disorder.
Mood stabilizers
Prescription medicines used to manage and stabilize mood swings in conditions like bipolar disorder. These medicines help prevent or reduce the severity of both manic and depressive episodes.
Myelin
A fatty substance that forms a protective sheath around nerve fibers (axons).
N
Negative symptoms
A decrease or absence of behaviors, emotions, or motivations that are usually present in a person. These symptoms often occur in conditions like schizophrenia.
Neurodevelopment
The biological processes that shape the growth, structure, and functioning of the nervous system as it develops from infancy into childhood and adolescence.
Neurotransmitters
Chemical messengers that transmit signals between nerve cells (neurons) in the brain and throughout the nervous system. They help regulate mood, memory, and movement.
O
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
A condition where people have recurring unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and/or engage in repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions) to help with their anxiety.
Occipital lobe
A region at the back of the brain responsible for processing visual information.
P
Panic attack
A sudden and intense episode of extreme fear or discomfort. Physical symptoms such as rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, and trembling are common during a panic attack.
Panic disorder
An anxiety disorder marked by panic attacks along with physical symptoms like rapid heart rate and shortness of breath.
Parietal lobe
A region of the brain that processes touch, temperature, and spatial awareness. It plays a role in perception, attention, and spatial coordination.
Personality disorders
A group of mental health conditions defined by persistent patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that do not fit within cultural norms. These conditions may lead to trouble relating to others, managing emotions, and functioning in everyday life.
Positive symptoms
The presence of experiences, thoughts, or behaviors that are not usually present in a person. Symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized speech or behavior. These symptoms are common in people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
Postpartum depression
A mental health condition that affects some people after childbirth, causing feelings of sadness, anxiety, and fatigue that can significantly impact daily life and parenting.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
A mental health condition that may develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. A person with PTSD may have flashbacks to the event, nightmares, and emotional distress.
Prognosis
The expected course or outcome of a medical condition. This includes a prediction of how the condition is likely to develop and impact a person’s health and well-being over time.
Psychiatrist
A medical doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating mental health disorders. These doctors can prescribe medicines.
Psychologist
A trained professional who studies and assesses human behavior, emotions, and mental processes. They may give psychotherapy but cannot prescribe medicines.
Psychosis
A mental state disconnected from reality. Psychosis typically involves hallucinations, delusions, and/or disorganized thinking.
Psychotherapy
A therapeutic approach where people work with trained professionals to explore their thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and mental health challenges. The aim is to improve mental health and overall well-being. This is also known as talk therapy or counseling.
R
Resilience
The ability to adapt in the face of adversity and stress.
S
Schizoaffective disorder
A mental health condition marked by a combination of symptoms from both schizophrenia (such as hallucinations or delusions) and mood disorders (like depression or mania). This disorder involves periods of disturbed thought, emotions, and functioning.
Schizophrenia
A complex mental health disorder involving difficulty telling the difference between reality and imagination. It often includes periods of psychosis, which involve distorted thinking, hallucinations, and delusions.
Self-harm
Deliberate acts of physically hurting oneself. Self-harm often is used as a coping mechanism for emotional pain.
Serotonin
A neurotransmitter in the brain that regulates mood, emotions, sleep, appetite, and other important functions.
Social anxiety disorder
An extreme fear of social situations and being judged or embarrassed by others. This fear often leads to avoidance of social situations.
Stigma
Negative attitudes, beliefs, and stereotypes surrounding mental health conditions. Stigma can lead to discrimination and other barriers to seeking help.
Substance use disorder
Harmful or excessive use of drugs or alcohol that negatively affects a person’s physical health, mental well-being, relationships, and overall daily functioning.
Suicidal ideation
Thoughts about ending one's own life. These thoughts may be fleeting, or they may be persistent and serious.
Suicide
The act of intentionally taking one's own life.
T
Temporal lobe
A region of the brain that is involved in hearing, memory formation, language comprehension, and aspects of emotion regulation and visual perception.
Thalamus
A central part of the brain that receives and transmits sensory information to different areas of the cerebral cortex. The thalamus plays a role in regulating consciousness, sleep, and alertness.
Therapist
A mental health professional trained to provide talk therapy for people having emotional and psychological challenges. A therapist may be a psychiatrist, psychologist, or other mental health professional.
Trauma
A distressing or harmful event, often causing emotional and psychological shock. Trauma can lead to lasting effects on a person's mental well-being.
W
Withdrawal
The physical and psychological symptoms that occur when a person suddenly stops using a substance their body has become dependent on. Substances may include medicines, drugs or alcohol.