[A]

Acute
Recent onset of severe clinical symptoms of mental illness.

Acute Stress Disorder
Anxiety, fear and other symptoms that occur within one (1) month after exposure to an extreme traumatic stressor.

Addiction
A state of dependence produced by the habitual taking of drugs, including alcohol, characterized by compulsion, loss of control and continued patterns of use despite negative consequences.

Adjustment Disorder
Development of clinically significant emotional or behavioral symptoms in response to a psychological stressor.

Aggression
Physical or verbal behavior that is forceful or hostile and enacted to intimidate others.

Agoraphobia
Fear and anxiety about being in places or situations from which escape may be difficult (or embarrassing), or in which help may not be available in the event of having a Panic Attack. Fear of the outdoors or going out, especially alone. It is the most common phobia.

Anorexia Nervosa
Eating disorder in which the person starves him/herself or uses other techniques such as vomiting, to induce weight loss. It is motivated by a false perception of being fat and/or phobia about becoming fat. It can be life threatening.

Anxiety Disorder
A form of neurosis in which anxiety dominates the person's life. Examples are Acute Stress Disorder, Agoraphobia, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Panic Attack, Panic Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Separation Anxiety Disorder, Social Phobia, Specific Phobia, Substance-induced Anxiety Disorder.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder
A disorder with a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity.

Authority
The right of designated people to make decisions and issue commands.

[B]

Behavioral Therapy
Treatment based on the belief that psychological problems are the products of faulty learning and not the symptoms of an underlying disease. Treatment is directed at the problem or target behavior and is designed for the particular person, not for the particular diagnostic label that has been given.

Bipolar Affective Disorder
A severe mental illness with repeated episodes of mania and depression. The person is usually well in the intervals between episodes.

Brief Psychotic Disorder
A disturbance that involves the sudden onset of at least one of the following psychotic symptoms: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, etc.

Bulimia Nervosa
An eating disorder characterized by overeating followed by techniques to prevent weight gain e.g. induced vomiting, use of laxatives. Can occur as a phase of anorexia nervosa.

[C]

Case Management
The mechanism for ensuring continuity of care across inpatient and community settings, for access to and co-ordination of the range of services necessary to meet the individual and identified needs of a person within and outside the mental health system.

Chronic Mental Illness
An illness or disorder which is severe in degree and persistent in duration. The symptoms may be permanent or episodic. There may also be a substantially diminished level of functioning in the primary aspects of daily living.

Cognitive Disorder
A disorder where the person shows decreased abilities in memory, problem solving, etc. It is generally associated with a general medical condition but could be a psychological impairment.

Conduct Disorder
A repetitive or persistent pattern of aggressive behavior. It is usually recognised in childhood or adolescence and can lead to an impulsive personality disorder.

[D]

Delusion
Irrational belief that cannot be altered by rational argument. In mental illness it is often a false belief that the person is persecuted by others, or is a victim of physical disease.

Dementia
A chronic or persistent disorder of the mental processes due to organic brain disease. It is marked by short term memory loss, changes in personality, deterioration in personal care, impaired reasoning ability, and disorientation.

Depression (Psychiatric diagnosis)
A mental state characterized by excessive sadness. Activity may be agitated and restless or slow and retarded. The person may experience feelings of worthlessness, despair and extreme pessimism. There are usually disruptions to sleep, appetite and concentration.

Depressive Episode - Major
The essential feature of a Major Depressive Episode is a period of at least two (2) weeks during which there is either depressed mood or the loss of interest or pleasure in nearly all activities. In children and adolescents, the mood may be irritable rather than sad.

Dissociative Identity Disorder
(formerly Multiple Personality Disorder)
The presence of two (2) or more distinct identities or personality states that recurrently take control of behavior. In children, the symptoms cannot be attributed to imaginary playmates or other fantasy play.

[E]

Eating Disorders
Severe disturbances of eating behavior in which people starve themselves or use other techniques to induce weight loss. See also: Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa.

Euphoria
A sense of extreme well-being and optimism, the absence of pain or stress which might be exaggerated in psychiatric cases.

[F]

Family Therapy
Psychotherapeutic treatment of the family as a unit to clarify and modify the ways they relate together and communicate.

[G]

Generalized Anxiety Disorder
A disorder with excessive anxiety and worry, occurring more days than not for a period of at least six (6) months about a number of events or activities.

[H]

Hallucination
False sensory perception of something that is not really there. It may involve vision, touch, taste or smell.

[L]

Learning Disorders
(formerly Academic Skills Disorders)
A disorder where the child/person shows achievement in standardized tests in reading, mathematics, or written expression which is substantially below that expected for age, schooling and level of intelligence.

[M]

Mania
A state of mind characterized by excessive cheerfulness and increased activity. The mood is euphoric and changes rapidly to irritability. Thought and speech are rapid to the point of incoherence and behavior may be overactive, extravagant, overbearing. There may be grandiose delusions.

Manic Episode
A distinct period during which there is an abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive or irritable mood. This period of abnormal mood must last at least one (1) week.

Manic-Depressive Psychosis
(Bipolar Affective Disorder)
A severe mental illness with repeated episodes of mania and depression. The person is usually well in the intervals between episodes.

Mental Health
A dynamic process in which a person's physical, cognitive, affective, behavioral and social dimensions interact functionally with one another and with the environment.

Mental Illness
Physical, cognitive, affective, behavioral and social patterns that interact dysfunctionally with the environment.

Mobile Intensive Treatment Services
A service that provides long-term case management and assertive outreach to very vulnerable and disabled people living in the community with severe mental illness, enduring disability and complex needs. Without the provision of this service response, the person would be likely to have recurring admission to acute inpatient services.

[O]

Obsession
A recurrent thought, feeling or action which the person cannot prevent, that is unpleasant and provokes anxiety.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
A disorder with persistent ideas, thoughts, impulses or images that are experienced as intrusive and inappropriate and that cause marked anxiety or distress. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors e.g., handwashing, ordering, checking) or mental acts e.g., praying, counting, repeating words silently) the goal of which is to prevent or reduce anxiety or distress.

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder
A disorder with a preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism and mental and interpersonal control at the expense of flexibility, openness and efficiency.

[P]

Panic Attack
A sudden, unpredictable, intense episode of anxiety characterized by personality disorganization, a fear of losing one's mind, going crazy, being unable to control one's behavior, a sense of impending doom, helplessness and being trapped.

Panic Disorder
A disorder with recurrent, unexpected Panic Attacks followed by at least one (1) month of persistent concern about having another Panic Attack, worry about the possible implications or consequences of the Panic Attacks, or significant behavioral change related to the attacks.

Personality Disorder
A disorder with deeply ingrained and maladaptive patterns of behavior, persisting through many years, usually commencing in adolescence. The abnormality of the behavior must be sufficiently severe that it causes suffering, either to the patient or to other people or both.

Phobia
Unrealistic fear or aversion to a situation or thing. Avoiding the feared situation may severely restrict one's life and cause much suffering.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
A disorder which follows a traumatic event such as major disaster, rape, torture or accidents. Involves re-living the event and withdrawal from the external world.

Psychopath
Person suffering chronic mental disorder characterized by anti-social behavior and lack of guilt, and little capacity for forming emotional relationships with others.

Psychosis
A severe disease or disorder of the mind characterized by derangement of personality and loss of contact with reality. There is often a lack of insight, although memory and intellect tend to remain intact.

Psychosomatic
Refers to the mind/body relationship. Usually refers to illnesses which are caused by the interaction of mental and physical factors.

Psychotherapy
Psychological methods for the treatment of mental disorders and psychological problems e.g., psychoanalysis, family therapy, group therapy.

Psychotropic Drugs
Drugs which affect mood e.g., antidepressants, stimulants, tranquillizers.

[S]

Schizophrenia
A severe mental illness characterized by a disintegration of the process of thinking, of contact with reality, and of emotional responsiveness. Delusions and hallucinations (especially of voices) are usual features, and the person may feel that thoughts, sensations and actions are controlled by or shared with others. The person may become socially withdrawn and lose energy. No single cause of the disease is known. There are strong genetic factors in the causation and environmental stress can precipitate illness.

Separation Anxiety Disorder
Excessive anxiety concerning separation from the home or from those to whom the person is attached.

Somatization Disorder
A disorder characterized by multiple recurrent changing physical symptoms such as back pain, the absence of physical disorders that could explain them.

Specialized Mental Health Service
Specifically designed mental health services for individual assessment, continuing treatment and rehabilitation for people with mental disorders and serious mental health problems. They also provide specialized consultation and liaison services to other agencies and include a component offering expert advice to facilitate rehabilitation and promotion programs.

Stress
Any factor that threatens the health of the body or has an adverse effect on its functioning such as injury, disease or worry. The existence of one form of stress tends to diminish resistance to other forms.