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Mental health terms, explained in plain language
Psychiatry has a vocabulary problem: the words your clinician uses carry precise meanings, and guessing at them makes care harder. Here are fifty terms you'll meet on this site and in treatment, defined the way we'd explain them in a visit.
Medically reviewed by Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, FAPA, board certified psychiatrist · Published June 7, 2026 · Last reviewed June 8, 2026 · Editorial policy
Half of treatment is having the words for what you're feeling.
- Acute
- Recent in onset or short in duration. An acute episode is happening now, as opposed to a chronic, long-running pattern.
- Adjustment disorder
- Emotional or behavioral symptoms that develop within three months of an identifiable stressor and are out of proportion to it, but do not meet criteria for another disorder.
- Agoraphobia
- Fear or avoidance of situations where escape might be difficult, such as crowds, transit, or open spaces, often developing alongside panic disorder.
- Anhedonia
- A reduced ability to feel interest or pleasure in things that used to matter. One of the two core symptoms of major depression.
- Antidepressant
- A medication used to treat depression and, often, anxiety disorders. Common classes include SSRIs, SNRIs, and atypical agents like bupropion and mirtazapine.
- Anxiolytic
- Any medication used to reduce anxiety. At shrinkMD this means non controlled options such as SSRIs, buspirone, or hydroxyzine, never benzodiazepines.
- Atypical antipsychotic
- A second generation medication used for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and sometimes hard-to-treat depression. Examples include aripiprazole and quetiapine.
- Biopsychosocial model
- A way of understanding mental health that weighs biological, psychological, and social factors together rather than reducing a person to one cause.
- Bipolar disorder
- A mood disorder defined by episodes of mania or hypomania, usually alternating with depression. Bipolar I requires a full manic episode; bipolar II involves hypomania plus major depression.
- Catastrophizing
- A thinking pattern in which the mind jumps to the worst possible outcome and treats it as likely. A common target of cognitive behavioral therapy.
- CBT (Cognitive behavioral therapy)
- A structured, evidence based therapy that works on the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. First line treatment for many anxiety and depressive disorders.
- Comorbidity
- Having more than one condition at the same time, such as depression plus an anxiety disorder. Common in psychiatry and important for treatment planning.
- Controlled substance
- A medication regulated under the federal Controlled Substances Act because of abuse potential, such as benzodiazepines and stimulants. shrinkMD does not prescribe controlled substances.
- Cyclothymia
- A milder, chronic pattern of mood cycling with hypomanic and depressive symptoms that never reach full episode criteria, lasting two years or more.
- Diagnosis
- The clinical conclusion about what condition best explains your symptoms, reached through a structured evaluation. The foundation of any sound treatment plan.
- DSM-5-TR
- The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the standard reference clinicians use to define and diagnose psychiatric conditions.
- Dysthymia (persistent depressive disorder)
- A depressed mood lasting most of the day, more days than not, for at least two years. Less intense than a major episode but wearing because of its duration.
- Euthymia
- A stable, well-regulated mood state, neither depressed nor elevated. Often the stated goal of mood disorder treatment.
- First-line treatment
- The treatment recommended first for a condition based on the best available evidence, before other options are tried.
- GAD-7
- A seven question screening and tracking scale for generalized anxiety. shrinkMD uses it to measure progress between visits.
- Half-life
- How long it takes the body to clear half of a medication dose. Influences dosing schedules and what discontinuation feels like.
- Hypervigilance
- A state of being constantly on guard and scanning for threat, common in anxiety disorders and PTSD.
- Hypomania
- A period of elevated or irritable mood and increased energy that is noticeable to others but less severe than mania and without psychosis or hospitalization.
- Insomnia
- Persistent difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early, with daytime consequences, despite adequate opportunity to sleep.
- Intake
- The process of becoming a patient: providing history, consents, and goals before your first appointment. At shrinkMD it takes minutes online.
- Intrusive thoughts
- Unwanted thoughts or images that arrive uninvited. Universal in mild forms; in OCD they become repetitive, distressing, and entangled with compulsions.
- Maintenance treatment
- Continuing treatment after symptoms improve, to keep them from returning. Length is individualized and reviewed with your clinician.
- Mania
- A distinct period of abnormally elevated or irritable mood and energy severe enough to impair function, sometimes with psychosis. Defines bipolar I disorder.
- Measurement-based care
- Using validated scales like the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 at regular intervals so treatment decisions follow data rather than impressions.
- Medication management
- The ongoing clinical process of choosing, dosing, monitoring, and adjusting psychiatric medication, including deciding when to stop.
- Mood stabilizer
- A medication that prevents or dampens mood episodes in bipolar spectrum conditions. Lithium and lamotrigine are common examples.
- Neurotransmitter
- A chemical messenger between brain cells, such as serotonin, norepinephrine, or dopamine. Many psychiatric medications act on these systems.
- OCD (Obsessive-compulsive disorder)
- A condition of intrusive obsessions and repetitive compulsions performed to relieve the distress they cause. Treated with SSRIs and a specialized therapy called ERP.
- Panic attack
- A sudden surge of intense fear with physical symptoms like racing heart, shortness of breath, and dread, peaking within minutes. Frightening, but not dangerous in itself.
- PHQ-9
- A nine question scale for screening and tracking depression severity. One of the core tools of measurement-based care at shrinkMD.
- Postpartum depression
- A major depressive episode beginning during pregnancy or within the year after delivery. Common, treatable, and never a character failure.
- Prior authorization
- An insurance requirement to approve a medication or service before covering it. One of the frictions shrinkMD's cash pay model removes entirely.
- Psychiatrist
- A physician (MD or DO) who completed residency training in psychiatry and can evaluate, diagnose, and prescribe. Board certification adds examination-verified expertise.
- Psychiatric nurse practitioner (PMHNP)
- An advanced practice nurse with graduate psychiatric training, board certified to evaluate, diagnose, and prescribe psychiatric medication.
- Psychoeducation
- Structured teaching about your condition and treatment. Strong evidence shows that understanding what is happening improves outcomes.
- Psychosis
- A state in which thinking loses contact with reality, often involving hallucinations or delusions. A feature of several conditions and a treatable medical situation.
- Relapse
- The return of symptoms after improvement. Relapse prevention planning is a standard part of responsible psychiatric care.
- Remission
- The state of having few or no remaining symptoms. The explicit target of treatment, not just feeling somewhat better.
- Rumination
- Replaying the same thoughts, worries, or memories on a loop. A driver of both depression and anxiety, and a primary target of treatment.
- SNRI
- Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, an antidepressant class including venlafaxine and duloxetine, used for depression, anxiety, and some pain conditions.
- SSRI
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, the most commonly prescribed antidepressant class, including sertraline and escitalopram. First line for depression and most anxiety disorders.
- Side effect
- An unintended effect of a medication. Most psychiatric medication side effects are early, mild, and temporary, and they are managed, not endured.
- Superbill
- An itemized receipt with diagnostic and service codes that you can submit to your insurer for possible out of network reimbursement. shrinkMD provides them on request.
- Telepsychiatry
- Psychiatric evaluation and treatment delivered by secure video by a licensed clinician. Evidence shows outcomes comparable to in person outpatient care.
- Titration
- Adjusting a medication dose gradually, up or down, to find the minimum dose that works with the fewest side effects.
Want deeper, encyclopedia-style entries? Our founder also medically reviews Shrinkopedia, an independent, ad-free mental health reference in The Shrink Network.
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Plain language is a clinical tool: people who understand their care do better in it.
Frequently asked questions
Good questions, clear answers
What is the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist?
A psychiatrist is a physician (MD or DO) who completed medical school and psychiatry residency, and can diagnose and prescribe medication. A psychologist holds a doctorate in psychology and provides testing and therapy but, in most states, does not prescribe. Many people benefit from both, working together.
What is the difference between a panic attack and an anxiety attack?
'Panic attack' is the clinical term: a sudden surge peaking within minutes, with intense physical symptoms. 'Anxiety attack' isn't a formal diagnosis; people usually mean a slower build of overwhelming worry. The distinction matters because panic responds to specific treatments, including SSRIs and CBT.
What does 'board certified' actually mean?
After residency, a physician can pass rigorous national examinations from a specialty board, for psychiatry, the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and maintain that certification with ongoing education. It's verified, examination-tested expertise beyond holding a license.
What do PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores mean?
They're validated questionnaires scoring depression (PHQ-9, 0-27) and anxiety (GAD-7, 0-21) severity. Higher means more severe; the clinical value is the trend, falling scores are objective evidence treatment is working, which is why we measure them at every visit.
Who writes these definitions?
They're written and medically reviewed under the direction of Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, FAPA, shrinkMD's founder, the same standard as every clinical page here. See our editorial policy for how review works.
Why does precise language matter in mental health?
Because the words drive decisions. 'Sad' and 'major depressive episode' point to different responses, and knowing what your clinician means by remission or titration makes you a real participant in your own care.
Is this glossary a substitute for an evaluation?
No. Definitions describe conditions in general; only a clinical evaluation can tell you what's true for you. If something here sounds like your life, that's a reason to book, not to self-diagnose.
What if a term I need isn't here?
Email shrinkMD@shrinkMD.com and we'll consider it for the next review, or try Shrinkopedia, the encyclopedia-style reference in our network.
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