Mental Health Glossary

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition involving persistent patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, or executive-function difficulty that affect daily life.

Anxiety is a future-focused alarm response: the mind and body prepare for possible danger, uncertainty, or loss of control.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of attachment theory: A psychological model describing the dynamics of long-term and short-term interpersonal relationships.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of bereavement: The period of grief and mourning after a death.

Bipolar disorder is a mood condition involving episodes of depression and episodes of mania or hypomania that change energy, sleep, behavior, and judgment.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of body positivity: The assertion that all people deserve to have a positive body image, regardless of how society and the popular culture view ideal shape, size, and appearance.

Boundaries are the limits and expectations that protect your time, energy, body, values, and emotional well-being in relationships.

Burnout is a state of work-related exhaustion, mental distance, and reduced effectiveness that can develop when chronic stress is not successfully managed.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of catharsis: The process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a structured therapy approach that explores how thoughts, feelings, body sensations, and actions influence each other.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of cortisol: The body's main stress hormone, which works with certain parts of your brain to control your mood, motivation, and fear.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of counseling: Professional guidance in resolving personal, social, or psychological problems.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of countertransference: The redirection of a psychotherapist's feelings toward a client.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of dbt: Dialectical Behavior Therapy provides clients with new skills to manage painful emotions and decrease conflict in relationships.

Depression is a mood condition marked by persistent low mood, loss of interest, low energy, and changes in thinking, sleep, appetite, motivation, or self-worth.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of dissociation: A mental process that causes a lack of connection in a person’s thoughts, memory and sense of identity.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of dopamine: A neurotransmitter associated with feelings of pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of dysphoria: A profound state of unease or dissatisfaction.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of ego: The organized part of the personality structure that includes defensive, perceptual, intellectual-cognitive, and executive functions.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of emotional intelligence: The ability to monitor one's own and other people's emotions and to use emotional information to guide thinking.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of empathy: The capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of euphoria: An experience or affect of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness.

The set of cognitive processes that enable planning, focusing attention, remembering instructions, and juggling multiple tasks successfully.

A psychological treatment that helps people confront fears in a safe, controlled way rather than avoiding them, reducing anxiety over time.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of fight or flight: A physiological reaction that occurs in response to a perceived harmful event, attack, or threat to survival.

Gaslighting is a pattern of manipulation that makes someone question their memory, perception, judgment, or sense of reality.

Grief is the emotional, physical, and relational response to losing someone or something deeply meaningful.

Grounding is a set of attention skills that help you reconnect with the present moment when emotions, memories, or anxiety feel too intense.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of holistic health: An approach to wellness that simultaneously addresses the physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual components of health.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of imposter syndrome: Doubting your abilities and feeling like a fraud despite your accomplishments.

Insomnia is ongoing difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, waking too early, or getting restorative sleep despite having the opportunity to sleep.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of introspection: The examination of one's own conscious thoughts and feelings.

Involuntary, unexpected thoughts, images, or impulses that pop into the mind and often feel distressing, upsetting, or uncharacteristic of your true values.

Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to present-moment experience with openness, curiosity, and less automatic judgment.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of narcissism: Self-centeredness arising from failure to distinguish the self from external objects.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of neuroplasticity: The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life.

OCD involves intrusive, unwanted obsessions and repetitive compulsions or mental rituals used to reduce distress or prevent feared outcomes.

A panic attack is a sudden surge of intense fear or discomfort with strong physical sensations such as racing heart, breathlessness, dizziness, shaking, or chest tightness.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of phobia: An extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of projection: A defense mechanism in which the human ego defends itself against unconscious impulses by denying their existence in themselves while attributing them to others.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of psychotherapy: The treatment of mental disorder by psychological rather than medical means.

PTSD is a trauma-related condition in which symptoms such as intrusive memories, avoidance, threat sensitivity, and mood changes persist after a traumatic event.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of regression: A defense mechanism leading to the temporary or long-term reversion of the ego to an earlier stage of development.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of resilience: The ability to mentally or emotionally cope with a crisis or to return to pre-crisis status quickly.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of schizophrenia: A serious mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of self care: Activities and practices we engage in on a regular basis to reduce stress and enhance our well-being.

Self-compassion means responding to your own pain, mistakes, or perceived inadequacy with kindness, honesty, and a sense of shared humanity.

Self-esteem is the way you evaluate your own worth, ability, acceptability, and place in relation to yourself and others.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of serotonin: A neurotransmitter that contributes to feelings of well-being and happiness.

Social anxiety is intense fear of being judged, embarrassed, rejected, or negatively evaluated in social or performance situations.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of stigma: A set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society or group of people has about something.

The body and mind's natural reaction to feeling challenged, pressured, or threatened, mobilizing energy through hormonal and physical changes.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of sublimation: A mature type of defense mechanism where socially unacceptable impulses are transformed into socially acceptable actions.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of superego: The ethical component of the personality and provides the moral standards by which the ego operates.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of toxic positivity: The belief that no matter how dire or difficult a situation is, people should maintain a positive mindset.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of transference: The redirection of feelings and desires, especially of those unconsciously retained from childhood, toward a new object.

Trauma is the emotional and nervous-system impact of an event or repeated experience that overwhelms a person's ability to cope, feel safe, or make sense of what happened.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of validation: The process of learning about, understanding, and expressing acceptance of another person's emotional experience.

Psychological definition and mental health impact of well being: The state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy.