The words of psychology and psychiatry, explained simply

ACT is a recent form of behavioural therapy. Rather than fighting painful thoughts and emotions, you learn to make room for them without letting them steer you, and to act according to what really matters to you, that is, your values.

See also: Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) · Mindfulness

A disorder is called acute when it appears intensely over a limited period, like a crisis. It is called chronic when it lasts a long time, often several years, with ups and downs. A chronic disorder can perfectly well be treated and become stable.

See also: Remission · Relapse

Addiction is a loss of control over the use of a substance, such as alcohol, tobacco or cannabis, or over a behaviour, such as gambling: you carry on despite the harm it does, often with an overwhelming urge to use, known as craving. It is not a vice but a disorder, and people can get out of it with help.

See also: Withdrawal · Tolerance · Motivational interviewing (MI) · Gambling disorder

Find out more: Drinking less, or stopping · Cannabis: taking stock

Adjustment disorder is a reaction of distress that is stronger or lasts longer than expected after a difficult life event, such as a separation, a job loss, a house move or an illness. The person feels overwhelmed, sad or anxious. It often improves within a few months, especially with support.

See also: Stress · Depression

Agoraphobia is the fear of situations in which it would be hard to get out, or to get help, if you felt unwell: public transport, crowds, shops, queues, being far from home. It leads people to avoid these situations, sometimes to the point of no longer going out alone. Strictly speaking, it is not a fear of open spaces.

See also: Panic disorder · Avoidance · Exposure therapy

Find out more: Panic attacks and agoraphobia

Anger is a normal emotion, set off by an injustice, an obstacle or a threat. It becomes a problem when it is too frequent or too intense, or when it comes out in outbursts that damage relationships. You can learn to notice it early and to express it differently.

See also: Emotion regulation · Impulsivity

Find out more: Anger: understanding it and regulating it

Anguish is very intense anxiety, often felt in the body: a tight throat, a heavy chest, the feeling that something terrible is about to happen. The word belongs mostly to everyday language; professionals tend to speak of anxiety or of a panic attack, depending on the situation.

See also: Anxiety · Panic attack

Anhedonia is the loss of the ability to feel pleasure in, or interest in, things you used to enjoy, such as hobbies, friends or food. Together with sadness, it is one of the two main symptoms of depression.

See also: Depression · Behavioural activation · Apathy

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder in which the person severely restricts what they eat, with an intense fear of putting on weight and a distorted perception of their body. It mostly affects teenage girls and young women, but not only them. It is a serious threat to health that calls for early specialist care, often involving the family.

See also: Bulimia nervosa · Denial

Find out more: Anorexia: a guide for parents

An antidepressant is a medicine used for depression, but also for several anxiety disorders and for OCD. Its effect builds up gradually, usually after several weeks. It is taken over a long period and is not stopped all at once: stopping is planned with the doctor, by cutting down little by little.

See also: Depression · Psychotropic substance · Side effect · Withdrawal

An antipsychotic is a medicine that reduces the symptoms of psychosis, such as hallucinations and delusions. It is used in particular in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Its side effects, for example on weight, are checked regularly with the doctor.

See also: Psychosis · Schizophrenia · Bipolar disorder · Side effect

Anxiety is a natural alarm reaction to a danger that is possible or still to come: worry, tension, a pounding heart, difficulty relaxing. In moderation, it is useful. It becomes a disorder when it is too strong, too frequent or set off without any real threat, to the point of getting in the way of life.

See also: Anguish · Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) · Panic attack · Avoidance

Find out more: Understanding and easing anxiety

An anxiolytic is a medicine that reduces anxiety quickly. Some of them, in particular the benzodiazepine family, carry a risk of dependence when they are taken for a long time: they are therefore normally prescribed for a short period, and they are stopped gradually, with the doctor.

See also: Anxiety · Tolerance · Withdrawal · Psychotropic substance

Apathy is a loss of motivation and drive: the person finds it hard to start anything at all and seems indifferent. It is not laziness. It is found in depression, in some brain diseases such as dementia, and in schizophrenia.

See also: Anhedonia · Depression · Neurocognitive disorder

Attachment is the bond of security that a child builds with the adults who look after them. Depending on how their needs were met, this bond can feel more or less secure, and it then influences the way they approach close relationships. These tendencies can change over the course of life.

See also: Emotional dependence · Separation anxiety

ADHD is a developmental disorder that combines, to varying degrees, difficulties with attention, restlessness and impulsivity, which have been present since childhood and show up in more than one area of life. It often continues into adulthood, in a form that changes. It is not caused by poor parenting, and effective help exists: psychological, educational and sometimes medication.

See also: Impulsivity · Psychostimulant · Parent training · Neurodiversity

Find out more: ADHD in children and teenagers: the strategies that work at home · Adult ADHD: organising daily life

Autism is a different way of developing, present from childhood, that affects communication and social relationships and comes with intense interests, repetitive behaviours and often a particular sensitivity to noise, light or textures. It is called a “spectrum” because it takes very varied forms, and it is sometimes only recognised in adulthood.

See also: Neurodiversity · Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Find out more: Am I autistic? ADHD in adulthood

An automatic thought is a thought that pops up by itself, very quickly, in reaction to a situation, such as “I'm going to fail” or “he's angry with me”. People often take it as the truth without checking it. Spotting it is the first step in cognitive therapy.

See also: Cognitive distortion · Cognitive restructuring · Rumination

Avoidance means escaping or steering around what is frightening or painful: a situation, a place, a thought, a memory. It brings relief in the moment, but it keeps the fear going in the long run, because you never find out that you could have coped. Reducing avoidance is at the heart of treatment for many anxiety disorders.

See also: Exposure therapy · Anxiety · Specific phobia

The baby blues is a period of heightened sensitivity in the days after giving birth, with easy tears, changing moods and tiredness. It is very common and usually goes away on its own in less than two weeks. If it lasts longer or gets worse, postnatal depression should be considered.

See also: Postnatal depression

Find out more: After the birth: baby blues or postnatal depression?

Behavioural activation is a therapy for depression. Depression pushes people to withdraw from everything, which makes it worse. So, step by step and in a planned way, you bring back activities that give you pleasure or a sense of achievement, without waiting until you feel like doing them.

See also: Depression · Anhedonia · Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

Find out more: Behavioural activation: fighting depression

Binge-eating disorder involves episodes of overeating with a loss of control, as in bulimia, but without any behaviours meant to make up for it. The episodes come with distress, shame or guilt. It is the most common of the eating disorders.

See also: Bulimia nervosa

Find out more: Binge eating and bulimia

Bipolar disorder is marked by episodes in which mood is abnormally high, called mania or hypomania, alternating with depressive episodes, with periods in between when the person is well. It is a long-lasting disorder that can be well stabilised with regular treatment, a healthy lifestyle and psychoeducation.

See also: Mania and hypomania · Depression · Mood stabiliser

Find out more: Someone close with bipolar disorder: understanding and supporting

In this disorder, the person is preoccupied, in an all-consuming way, by one or more flaws in their appearance that other people do not notice or find minor. They spend a long time looking in the mirror, compare themselves with others and try to hide or correct the flaw, to the point of cutting themselves off from others. It is related to OCD.

See also: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) · Self-esteem

Borderline personality disorder combines very intense and changeable emotions, a strong fear of being abandoned, unstable relationships, a shifting sense of self and impulsive behaviour, sometimes including acts of self-harm. Contrary to a common belief, it often improves markedly over time and with specific therapies.

See also: Emotion regulation · Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) · Impulsivity · Self-harm

Find out more: When emotions overflow: instability and borderline personality · Someone close with borderline personality disorder: understanding and helping

Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder made up of episodes in which a person eats a large amount of food in a short time, with the feeling of being unable to stop, followed by behaviours meant to make up for it, such as making themselves sick or fasting. Shame often leads people to hide it, even though it responds well to treatment.

See also: Binge-eating disorder · Anorexia nervosa

Find out more: Binge eating and bulimia

Burnout is exhaustion caused by stress at work that goes on without enough recovery. It combines deep fatigue, a cynical distance from your work and the feeling of having become less effective. ICD-11 describes it as an occupational phenomenon, not as a mental illness. People also speak of parental burnout when the exhaustion comes from the role of being a parent.

See also: Stress · Depression

Find out more: Preventing burnout · Parental burnout: when being a parent wears you out

A child and adolescent psychiatrist is a psychiatrist who specialises in children and teenagers. They know the difficulties that belong to each age and often work with parents, schools and other professionals who look after children.

See also: Psychiatrist · Parent training

Coercive control describes a relationship in which one person gradually takes control over another: they control who the other person sees, their money and their movements, put them down and isolate them, until the victim loses confidence in their own judgement. This abuse is punishable by law in many countries; if you are in danger, call your country's emergency services.

See also: Emotional dependence · Psychological trauma

Find out more: Coercive control: recognising it and getting free

CBT is a psychotherapy that works on the links between thoughts, emotions and behaviour. You learn to spot the thoughts that keep your distress going and to change, step by step, the habits that make it worse, with exercises to do between sessions. It is one of the most studied psychotherapies, particularly for anxiety, depression and insomnia.

See also: Cognitive restructuring · Exposure therapy · Behavioural activation · Automatic thought

Find out more: Understanding and easing anxiety

A cognitive distortion is a common error of reasoning that makes reality look darker than it is: seeing everything in black and white, imagining the worst, generalising from a single failure, believing you can guess what other people think. Everyone makes them; they keep anxiety and depression going when they become a habit.

See also: Automatic thought · Cognitive restructuring

Cognitive remediation is a way of training, through exercises that become gradually harder, the thinking abilities that a disorder has weakened, such as attention, memory and planning. It is used, for example, in schizophrenia or after a brain injury, to make daily life easier.

See also: Neuropsychologist · Schizophrenia

This is a CBT technique. You learn to spot a thought that causes you pain, to examine what supports it and what contradicts it, and then to replace it with a fairer, more balanced thought. The aim is not to think positively, but to think more accurately.

See also: Automatic thought · Cognitive distortion · Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

Comorbidity means that a person has several disorders at the same time, for example depression and an anxiety disorder, or ADHD and an addiction. This is common, and it has to be taken into account when choosing the order and the form of care.

See also: Diagnosis

Complex PTSD, described in ICD-11, often develops after repeated and prolonged traumas that were hard to escape, such as violence in childhood or within a couple. On top of the symptoms of PTSD, there are lasting difficulties in regulating emotions, a very negative view of oneself and difficulties in relationships.

See also: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) · Psychological trauma · Emotion regulation

Find out more: Understanding trauma and the window of tolerance

A compulsion is an action or a mental act that a person feels driven to repeat in order to calm the anxiety caused by an obsession: washing their hands, checking, counting, repeating a phrase in their head. The relief does not last, which pushes them to start again and keeps the disorder going.

See also: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) · Obsession · Exposure and response prevention (ERP)

Find out more: OCD: the eight-step exposure programme

Conduct disorder describes repeated behaviour in a child or teenager that respects neither the rights of others nor important rules: aggression, destroying property, stealing, serious lying, running away. It calls for early support, which often involves both the family and the school.

See also: Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) · Parent training

A defence mechanism is a largely unconscious way of protecting yourself from an emotion or a thought that is too painful, for example by denying it, forgetting it or turning it into a joke. Everyone uses them; they become a problem when they turn rigid and stop you from facing things.

See also: Denial · Psychoanalysis

In psychiatry, a delusion is a false and unshakeable belief that the person holds on to despite all the evidence against it, and that the people around them do not share: believing that they are being persecuted, watched or given a special mission. This meaning is different from everyday speech, where calling someone “delusional” often just means that they are being unrealistic.

See also: Psychosis · Hallucination · Insight

Denial means refusing to acknowledge a reality that is too painful or worrying, such as an illness or a loss. For a while, it protects against the shock. In addictions or eating disorders, it is also a reason why care is delayed, and it is best worked on with patience rather than through confrontation.

See also: Defence mechanism · Insight

Depersonalisation is the feeling of being detached from yourself, as if you were watching yourself from the outside or your body were not quite your own. Derealisation is the feeling that the world around you is unreal, blurred or dreamlike. These sensations are frightening but do not mean that you are going mad; they often come with intense stress or anxiety.

See also: Dissociation · Panic attack

Depression is a mood disorder that lasts at least two weeks, nearly every day: deep sadness or a loss of interest in everything, with, for example, tiredness, problems with sleep and appetite, difficulty concentrating, a feeling of being worthless and sometimes thoughts of death. It is not just a bout of the blues or a lack of willpower, and it can be treated.

See also: Anhedonia · Behavioural activation · Antidepressant · Suicidal thoughts

Find out more: Understanding depression · Helping someone close who is depressed

Making a diagnosis means recognising that a set of difficulties matches a disorder that has been described and is well known. In psychiatry and psychology, it relies mainly on interviews, the person's history and sometimes questionnaires or tests, because there is not yet any blood test or brain scan that is enough on its own. A diagnosis helps to choose the right care; it does not sum up a person.

See also: DSM-5-TR · ICD-11 · Diagnostic criterion · Screening

A diagnostic criterion is one of the conditions a disorder must meet in order to be recognised: for example a minimum duration, a certain number of symptoms, or real difficulty in daily life. The professional checks these criteria during the interview; having one or two isolated signs is not enough.

See also: Diagnosis · DSM-5-TR · ICD-11

DBT is a therapy designed for people whose emotions are very intense and changeable, particularly in borderline personality disorder. It combines individual sessions with groups in which people learn practical skills: getting through a crisis, regulating their emotions and handling their relationships better.

See also: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) · Emotion regulation · Self-harm

Find out more: When emotions overflow: instability and borderline personality

Dissociation is a kind of disconnection: you feel cut off from your thoughts, your emotions, your body or what is going on around you, you have gaps in your memory or the impression of being on autopilot. In a mild form it is common, as when you are “miles away”. When it is intense or frequent, it is often linked to trauma.

See also: Depersonalisation and derealisation · Psychological trauma · Window of tolerance

A dissociative disorder is one in which dissociation is so intense or frequent that it disrupts life: major gaps in memory, a lasting feeling of unreality or, more rarely, the presence of several distinct identities. It is often linked to early trauma and is treated with specialised psychotherapies.

See also: Dissociation · Depersonalisation and derealisation · Psychological trauma

The DSM is the manual for classifying mental disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association. The current version, DSM-5-TR, dates from 2022. For each disorder, it gives a description and a list of criteria, which allows professionals all over the world to speak the same language.

See also: ICD-11 · Diagnostic criterion · Diagnosis

Eco-anxiety is worry, sometimes very strong, about climate change and damage to the environment. It is not an illness: it is an understandable reaction to a real threat. It deserves attention when it takes over daily life, stops you from sleeping or leaves you paralysed.

See also: Anxiety · Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)

Find out more: Eco-anxiety: living with worry about the climate

ECT is a treatment that triggers a short seizure under general anaesthetic, using a mild electric current. It is kept for specific situations, such as very severe depression that has not responded to other treatments. Because it is now carried out under anaesthetic, it has nothing in common with the old images that people still have of it.

See also: Depression

Emotion regulation is the ability to recognise your emotions, to bear their intensity and to act in a suitable way in spite of them. When it is difficult, emotions overflow or, on the contrary, they are stifled. It can be learned at any age.

See also: Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) · Borderline personality disorder (BPD) · Anger

Find out more: Emotion regulation: the toolkit

Emotional dependence is an intense need for another person in order to feel that you exist and that you are safe: fear of abandonment, difficulty being alone, a tendency to accept anything to keep the relationship. It is not an official diagnosis, but it is real suffering, and it can be worked on.

See also: Attachment · Self-esteem · Coercive control

Find out more: Getting out of emotional dependence

Enuresis means repeatedly wetting the bed at night at an age when children are usually dry, generally from the age of 5. It is common and involuntary, and it has nothing to do with poor upbringing. It often goes away with age, and effective solutions exist, such as the bedwetting alarm.

See also: Parent training

Find out more: Bedwetting: a guide for parents

This is the standard psychological treatment for OCD. You gradually expose yourself to what triggers the obsessions, for example touching a door handle, and you hold back from the usual compulsion, such as washing your hands. The anxiety rises, then comes down on its own, and the brain learns that the ritual was not necessary.

See also: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) · Obsession · Compulsion · Exposure therapy

Find out more: OCD: the eight-step exposure programme

Exposure is a therapy technique in which you face, gradually and deliberately, what frightens you and what you avoid: a situation, an object, a memory or a sensation. By staying with the fear instead of running away, you discover that the danger you dread does not happen or that you can cope with it, and the fear decreases with practice.

See also: Avoidance · Specific phobia · Exposure and response prevention (ERP) · Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

Find out more: Phobias: exposure step by step

EMDR is a psychotherapy for trauma. While the person thinks back to a painful memory, the therapist guides side-to-side eye movements, or alternating sounds or taps. The World Health Organization lists it among the recommended treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder in adults.

See also: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) · Psychological trauma · Re-experiencing

This therapy starts from the idea that a person's difficulty sits within a set of relationships, such as the couple or the family. The therapist therefore works with several family members together, to understand and change the way they communicate and react to one another.

See also: Psychotherapy · Parent training

Gambling disorder is a behavioural addiction: the person can no longer control their betting, gambles to win back what they have lost, lies about their losses and puts their finances and relationships at risk. Like other addictions, it can be treated.

See also: Addiction · Impulsivity

Find out more: Gambling: taking stock

Gender dysphoria is the distress a person may feel when their gender identity, that is, the gender they feel they belong to, does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. ICD-11 calls it gender incongruence, and it is no longer listed among mental disorders. What matters is to support the person and to ease their distress.

See also: Stigma

GAD is a disorder in which you worry almost every day, for months, about all sorts of things: health, money, work, the people close to you. These worries are hard to stop and come with tension, tiredness, irritability and sleep problems.

See also: Anxiety · Rumination · Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

Find out more: Constant worry: generalised anxiety disorder

A hallucination is a perception without anything real to cause it: hearing a voice when no one is speaking, seeing or feeling something that is not there. To the person, it seems as real as a true perception. It can happen in psychosis, but also with certain substances, lack of sleep or physical illnesses.

See also: Psychosis · Schizophrenia · Delusion

Find out more: Hearing voices: understanding and coping

Health anxiety is a lasting fear of having or developing a serious illness, despite reassuring test results. The person watches their body closely, looks for information on the internet, sees doctors often or, on the contrary, avoids them. The suffering is real, and the disorder responds well to treatment.

See also: Anxiety · Somatic symptom disorder

Find out more: The fear of being ill: health anxiety

Hoarding disorder is a great difficulty in parting with possessions, even ones with no value, because the person feels a need to keep them and suffers at the thought of throwing them away. The objects take over the home, to the point of making some rooms unusable and sometimes dangerous.

See also: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Hypervigilance is a state of constant alert: you keep watching what is going on around you, you jump at the slightest noise, and you find it hard to relax or to sleep. It is common after trauma, as if the body were still expecting danger.

See also: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) · Psychological trauma · Stress

The ICD is the International Classification of Diseases of the World Health Organization. Its eleventh revision, ICD-11, has been in effect since 2022. It covers all diseases, including mental disorders, and gives each one a code that is used in medical records and health statistics.

See also: DSM-5-TR · Diagnosis

Impulsivity is the tendency to act quickly, without thinking about the consequences: interrupting people, spending, taking risks, losing your temper. It is found in particular in ADHD, borderline personality disorder and addictions.

See also: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) · Borderline personality disorder (BPD) · Anger

Insight means realising that you have a mental health problem and that care could help. In some disorders, such as schizophrenia or during a manic phase, insight can be reduced by the illness itself: this is not a matter of unwillingness.

See also: Psychosis · Mania and hypomania · Denial

Insomnia means having difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, or waking up too early, at least three nights a week for months, with tiredness or difficulty functioning during the day. The first recommended treatment is a form of cognitive behavioural therapy designed for insomnia, whose benefits last longer than those of sleeping pills.

See also: Sleeping pill · Recurrent nightmares · Stress

Find out more: Getting your sleep back: the Psychotip® programme · Children's and teenagers' sleep: a guide for parents

This disorder combines, from childhood onwards, intellectual abilities that are clearly below average and difficulties in adapting to daily life, for example in communication, independence and learning. Its severity varies a great deal from one person to another, and the right support helps people develop their abilities as fully as possible.

See also: Intelligence quotient (IQ) · Psychological assessment

IQ is a score obtained on an intelligence test. It places a person's results in relation to those of people of the same age: the average is set at 100, and most people score between 85 and 115. It measures certain abilities in reasoning, memory and speed, not a person's worth, nor every form of intelligence.

See also: Psychometric test · Psychological assessment · Intellectual developmental disorder

Interpersonal therapy is a short psychotherapy that has mainly been studied in depression. It starts from relationships and life events: a bereavement, a conflict, a change of role, isolation. The aim is to get through these situations better, which in turn eases the low mood.

See also: Depression · Psychotherapy

In specific situations set out by law, a person can receive psychiatric care without having given their consent, because their disorder prevents them from grasping the danger to themselves or to others. These measures are overseen by a doctor and, depending on the country, reviewed by a judge. The rules vary from one country to another.

See also: Psychiatric hospitalisation · Insight

Mania is a period when mood is abnormally high or irritable, with boundless energy, little need for sleep, racing thoughts and risky decisions, for example spending large sums of money. It lasts at least several days and throws life into disorder. Hypomania is a less intense form of it. These episodes are the mark of bipolar disorder.

See also: Bipolar disorder · Mood stabiliser · Insight

Find out more: Someone close with bipolar disorder: understanding and supporting

A mental disorder is a set of difficulties in thinking, emotions or behaviour that causes suffering or clearly gets in the way of daily life, and that matches a known description. It is neither a lack of willpower nor a weakness of character. Most mental disorders can be treated.

See also: Mental health · Diagnosis · Stigma

Mental health is a state of well-being that allows you to cope with the ordinary difficulties of life, carry out your plans, have relationships and contribute to society. It is not just the absence of a disorder: you can have a disorder and live well, or have none and still be unwell.

See also: Mental disorder · Psychological well-being

Mindfulness means deliberately paying attention to what is happening in the present moment, whether sensations, thoughts or emotions, without judging it and without trying to change it. It is learned through regular exercises. Eight-week programmes that teach it reduce, among other things, the risk of falling back into depression.

See also: Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) · Rumination · Stress

Find out more: Mindfulness: the eight-week programme

A mood stabiliser is a medicine that helps to prevent relapses in bipolar disorder, both manic and depressive episodes. It is taken long term, and some mood stabilisers require regular blood tests to check that the level in the blood is right.

See also: Bipolar disorder · Mania and hypomania · Psychotropic substance

Motivational interviewing is a way of guiding a conversation that helps a person who is in two minds to find their own reasons for changing, for example cutting down on alcohol. Instead of trying to convince them or lecture them, the professional listens and helps them explore what they want and what is holding them back.

See also: Addiction

Find out more: Drinking less, or stopping

A neurocognitive disorder is a decline in thinking abilities, such as memory, language, orientation or organisation, caused by a disease of the brain, for example Alzheimer's disease. When it affects a person's independence in daily life, it is called major neurocognitive disorder, which used to be called dementia.

See also: Apathy · Neuropsychologist

Find out more: Caring for someone close with Alzheimer's disease or another dementia

Neurodiversity is the idea that human brains work in varied ways, and that certain differences, such as autism or ADHD, are different ways of being rather than only deficits. It does not stop anyone from recognising real difficulties and the need for help or adjustments.

See also: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) · Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) · Specific learning disorders

A neuropsychologist is a psychologist who specialises in the links between the brain and thinking abilities such as memory, attention, language and organisation. They carry out assessments that measure these abilities, for example when ADHD is suspected, after an accident or when memory problems appear, and they suggest exercises to train them.

See also: Psychological assessment · Psychometric test · Cognitive remediation · Neurocognitive disorder

In OCD, an obsession is a thought, an image or an urge that forces its way in again and again, against the person's will, and causes strong anxiety: the fear of being contaminated, of causing harm, of having forgotten to lock the door. The person usually knows that these thoughts are exaggerated, but cannot drive them away.

See also: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) · Compulsion · Exposure and response prevention (ERP)

Find out more: OCD: the eight-step exposure programme

OCD combines obsessions, which are intrusive thoughts that cause anxiety, with compulsions, which are actions or rituals repeated to calm that anxiety. It can take up hours every day. It is not just a liking for order: it is a disorder that causes suffering and that can be treated, in particular with exposure and response prevention.

See also: Obsession · Compulsion · Exposure and response prevention (ERP)

Find out more: OCD: the eight-step exposure programme

This childhood disorder shows itself through frequent anger and irritability, repeated arguments with adults, refusing to do as they are told and deliberately provoking others, clearly more than other children of the same age. Training programmes for parents are its best-established treatment.

See also: Parent training · Conduct disorder · Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Find out more: Defiant child, ADHD child: the PSYCHOTIP® parent programme

A panic attack is a sudden surge of intense fear that peaks within a few minutes, with strong physical sensations: a racing heart, shortness of breath, dizziness, trembling, a fear of dying or of going mad. It is very frightening, but it is not dangerous for the body. Having a panic attack does not mean having panic disorder.

See also: Panic disorder · Agoraphobia · Anguish

Find out more: Panic attacks and agoraphobia

Panic disorder means having repeated panic attacks, often without warning, and living in fear that they will come back. This fear leads people to change their habits, for example by avoiding certain places. It responds very well to treatment, particularly to CBT.

See also: Panic attack · Agoraphobia · Avoidance

Find out more: Panic attacks and agoraphobia

Parent training supports parents to help them cope with their child's difficulties. Structured programmes teach them, session after session, to build on the good moments, give clear instructions and react calmly to difficult behaviour. They have been studied particularly for oppositional behaviour and ADHD in children.

See also: Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) · Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Find out more: Defiant child, ADHD child: the PSYCHOTIP® parent programme

Perfectionism means setting yourself very high standards and judging your worth by your success, with a great fear of making mistakes. It drives people to work hard, but also to put things off, to wear themselves out and never to feel satisfied. It is linked to anxiety, depression and eating disorders.

See also: Self-esteem · Burnout · Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)

Find out more: Perfectionism: high standards without burning out · Stop putting it off: procrastination

Persistent depressive disorder is a depressed mood that has been present most of the time for at least two years in adults, often in a less intense form than a depressive episode. Because it settles in for so long, the person may end up believing it is simply their personality, when in fact it can be treated.

See also: Depression · Acute and chronic

A personality disorder is a rigid way of thinking, feeling and relating to others that has been present since adolescence or early adulthood and causes repeated suffering, to the person or to the people around them. It is not a character flaw: these difficulties can change with the right care.

See also: Borderline personality disorder (BPD)

PTSD can develop after a traumatic event. The person relives the event against their will, through intrusive memories or nightmares, avoids anything that reminds them of it and stays constantly on alert. When these difficulties last for more than a month and get in the way of life, they amount to a disorder, which is treated with trauma-focused psychotherapies.

See also: Psychological trauma · Re-experiencing · Hypervigilance · Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR)

Find out more: Post-traumatic stress: understanding it and rebuilding

Postnatal depression is a depression that occurs during pregnancy or in the months after the birth. It can affect mothers, and fathers too. It differs from the baby blues in how long it lasts and how intense it is, and it can be treated; talking about it early matters for the parent and for the baby.

See also: Baby blues · Depression

Find out more: After the birth: baby blues or postnatal depression?

Grief is a normal reaction to the loss of a loved one, with a sadness that eases little by little. We speak of prolonged grief disorder when, long after the loss, at least six months according to ICD-11 and one year in adults according to DSM-5-TR, the pain is still so intense that it prevents the person from getting on with their life. This disorder can be treated.

See also: Depression · Adjustment disorder

Find out more: Grief: understanding it, getting through it, and knowing when to ask for help · Supporting a bereaved child or adolescent

A stay in a psychiatric hospital provides intensive care and protection when a person is in serious danger or in acute crisis, or when care at home is no longer enough. Most often the person agrees to it freely, and it lasts as long as needed to stabilise the situation; care then continues outside hospital.

See also: Involuntary treatment · Suicidal crisis · Psychiatrist

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specialises in mental disorders. Because they are doctors, psychiatrists can make a medical diagnosis, prescribe medication, order tests and decide on admission to hospital. Many psychiatrists also practise psychotherapy.

See also: Psychologist · Child and adolescent psychiatrist · Psychotropic substance

Psychoanalysis is a theory of how the mind works and a method of treatment founded by Sigmund Freud. Over many sessions, the person speaks freely about whatever comes to mind, in order to bring to light conflicts and desires they are not aware of. Its effects on specific disorders have been studied less than those of other psychotherapies.

See also: Psychodynamic therapy · Defence mechanism · Denial

Psychodynamic therapy draws on psychoanalysis, in a shorter form that is more focused on a specific problem. It seeks to understand how a person's history, their past relationships and the parts of themselves they are not aware of shape what they are going through today.

See also: Psychoanalysis · Defence mechanism

Psychoeducation means explaining to a person, and often to their family, what their disorder is, how it works and how it is treated. Understanding better what is happening reduces fear and shame, and helps people take an active part in their care.

See also: Psychotherapy · Stigma

A psychological assessment is an in-depth evaluation carried out by a psychologist. It combines interviews, questionnaires and tests to describe how a person functions: their intellectual abilities, attention, emotions and personality. It helps to understand a difficulty and to guide care or adjustments, at school for example.

See also: Psychometric test · Intelligence quotient (IQ) · Neuropsychologist

Psychological trauma is the wound left by an event in which a person faced death, a serious threat or violence, as a victim or as a witness. Many people recover from it with time; for others, the memories remain intrusive and can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder.

See also: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) · Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) · Re-experiencing · Window of tolerance

Find out more: Understanding trauma and the window of tolerance

Psychological well-being means feeling good about your life: experiencing pleasant emotions, finding meaning in what you do, having good relationships and feeling capable. It does not depend only on circumstances: certain habits, such as sleep, physical activity or connections with other people, clearly influence it.

See also: Mental health · Resilience

Find out more: Psychological well-being: what it is, and how to raise it

A psychologist has completed many years of university study in psychology. Psychologists assess how a person's mind works, through interviews and tests, and support people through psychotherapy. They are not medical doctors, so they do not prescribe medication. In many countries, the title is protected by law.

See also: Psychiatrist · Psychotherapist · Neuropsychologist · Psychological assessment

A psychometric test is a standardised tool that measures an ability or a trait, such as memory, attention or intelligence. It is taken under the same conditions by everyone, and the result is compared with those of thousands of people of the same age. It is never interpreted on its own, but always together with the interview and the person's history.

See also: Psychological assessment · Intelligence quotient (IQ)

Psychosis is a state in which contact with reality is altered: the person may have hallucinations, delusions or disorganised thinking, often without realising that they are ill. A first psychotic episode needs prompt care: the earlier it is treated, the better the outcome usually is.

See also: Hallucination · Delusion · Schizophrenia · Antipsychotic

Find out more: Hearing voices: understanding and coping

In medicine, a psychostimulant is a medication that improves attention and reduces impulsivity; it is the most widely used drug treatment for ADHD. It is prescribed and followed up by a doctor, who keeps an eye on appetite, sleep and blood pressure in particular.

See also: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) · Psychotropic substance

A psychotherapist is a professional trained to help people through talking and exercises, without medication. Depending on the country, this title is reserved for certain professionals, most often psychologists and doctors, who have completed recognised training. It is wise to check a psychotherapist's training and the method they use.

See also: Psychotherapy · Psychologist · Psychiatrist

Psychotherapy is a form of care based on regular meetings with a trained professional, without medication. You talk, you come to understand what is happening and, depending on the method, you learn new ways of thinking, feeling and acting. There are several approaches, and some have been studied far more than others for a given disorder.

See also: Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) · Psychodynamic therapy · Family and systemic therapy · Therapeutic alliance

A psychotropic substance acts on the brain and changes mood, thinking, alertness or behaviour. The word refers to psychiatric medicines, such as antidepressants or anxiolytics, but also to substances such as alcohol or cannabis.

See also: Antidepressant · Anxiolytic · Antipsychotic · Mood stabiliser

Re-experiencing is the involuntary and very vivid return of a traumatic memory, through images, sounds or sensations, sometimes with the feeling of living through the scene again in the present. It is one of the core symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

See also: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) · Psychological trauma · Recurrent nightmares

Find out more: Post-traumatic stress: understanding it and rebuilding

Frequent nightmares that are very frightening and wake you up can become a real disorder when they stop you from sleeping or make you dread the night. They are common after trauma. A simple technique, rehearsing a changed version of the dream during the day, helps to reduce them.

See also: Insomnia · Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) · Re-experiencing

Find out more: Nightmares: taking back your nights

A relapse is the return of symptoms after a period of improvement. It does not mean that care has failed: it is often part of the journey. Knowing your early warning signs, and what to do when they appear, makes it possible to act sooner.

See also: Remission · Acute and chronic

Relaxation covers a group of techniques that reduce bodily tension and the state of alert caused by stress: relaxing the muscles one by one, slowing down your breathing, picturing a calming scene. It can be learned and becomes effective with practice. It brings relief, but it does not always replace a longer-term treatment.

See also: Stress · Anxiety · Mindfulness

Remission is the period when the symptoms of a disorder have disappeared, or almost. People speak of recovery when remission lasts over time. Continuing care for a while after remission often reduces the risk of relapse.

See also: Relapse · Acute and chronic

Resilience is the ability to get through a hard ordeal and to find a good balance again afterwards. It is not a gift that you either have or do not have: it depends on many factors, such as support from the people close to you, and it can be strengthened.

See also: Psychological trauma · Stress · Psychological well-being

Ruminating means going over the same thoughts again and again, often about your problems, your mistakes or the causes of your distress, without reaching a solution. It is not useful reflection: rumination keeps sadness and anxiety going. It can be spotted and reduced with specific techniques.

See also: Depression · Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) · Automatic thought

Find out more: Stop overthinking: getting out of rumination

Schizophrenia is a long-lasting mental disorder that combines periods of psychosis, with hallucinations and delusions, and more constant difficulties: lack of drive, withdrawal, problems with attention and memory. It is not a “split personality”. With the right care, many people become stable and lead a rich life.

See also: Psychosis · Antipsychotic · Cognitive remediation · Stigma

Find out more: Someone close with schizophrenia: understanding and supporting

School bullying is repeated violence, physical, verbal or online, carried out by one or more pupils against another pupil who cannot defend themselves. It can lead to anxiety, depression and a refusal to go to school. It must be taken seriously: talk about it with the child and alert the school.

See also: School refusal · Social anxiety

Find out more: Bullying and cyberbullying: a guide for parents

School refusal describes a child or teenager who can no longer manage to go to school because of very strong anxiety, often with stomach aches or headaches in the morning. It is neither laziness nor a whim. The longer the absence lasts, the harder the return becomes, so it is better to act early, together with the school.

See also: Separation anxiety · Social anxiety · School bullying

Find out more: My child won't go to school any more

Screening means looking for the possible signs of a disorder, with a few questions or a short questionnaire, in people who have not necessarily sought help for that reason. A positive result does not mean that you have the disorder: it shows that a fuller assessment by a professional would be useful.

See also: Diagnosis · Psychometric test

Selective mutism is an anxiety disorder of childhood: the child speaks normally at home but cannot manage to speak in certain situations, most often at school, and this lasts for at least a month. It is neither defiance nor ordinary shyness, and it is treated with gradual exposure to speaking, together with the parents and the school.

See also: Social anxiety · Exposure therapy · School refusal

Self-esteem is the way you judge yourself and the value you give yourself. Low self-esteem often comes with self-criticism and a fear of what others think; it can be worked on, in particular by changing the way you talk to yourself and by acting in spite of doubt.

See also: Perfectionism · Social anxiety · Depression

Find out more: Self-esteem: a step-by-step programme to rebuild it

Self-harm means deliberately hurting yourself without intending to die, for example by cutting or burning yourself. Most often it is a way of relieving an unbearable emotion. It calls for serious and caring help, without blame, and for medical advice about any injuries.

See also: Emotion regulation · Suicidal thoughts · Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)

Find out more: When your teenager self-harms: understanding it and helping

Separation anxiety is an excessive fear of being separated from the people you are attached to, with the dread that something bad will happen to them. It is normal in very young children; it becomes a disorder when it is more intense than expected for the child's age and stops them, for example, from going to school or sleeping alone.

See also: Attachment · School refusal · Anxiety

Find out more: Supporting your anxious child

A side effect is an effect of a medicine that is not wanted, such as nausea, drowsiness or weight gain. Many side effects are temporary. It is important to talk about them with the doctor rather than stopping the treatment on your own, because other solutions often exist.

See also: Psychotropic substance · Antidepressant · Antipsychotic

A sleeping pill is a medicine that helps you fall asleep or stay asleep. It can help out for a short period, but it loses its effect over time and can lead to dependence. For insomnia that lasts, cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia is the recommended first treatment.

See also: Insomnia · Tolerance · Withdrawal

Find out more: Getting your sleep back: the Psychotip® programme

Social anxiety is an intense fear of being watched, judged or humiliated by others, for example when speaking in public, eating in front of someone or taking part in a meeting. The person dreads blushing, trembling or saying something silly, and avoids these situations. It is much more than ordinary shyness.

See also: Anxiety · Self-esteem · Avoidance

Find out more: Social anxiety: the eight-step programme

In this disorder, the person suffers from physical symptoms, such as pain or tiredness, and thinks about them excessively, with worry and a great deal of time and energy spent on them. The symptoms are real, whether or not a medical cause is found; care aims to reduce the place they take up in the person's life.

See also: Somatisation · Health anxiety

Find out more: Living with chronic pain

Somatisation is when psychological difficulties, such as stress or anxiety, show themselves through physical symptoms like stomach aches, pain or tiredness. These symptoms are real, not imaginary. The word “psychosomatic” refers more broadly to the links between mind and body in illness.

See also: Somatic symptom disorder · Stress

Specific learning disorders are lasting difficulties with one particular kind of learning, even though intelligence is normal: reading for dyslexia, writing and spelling for dysgraphia, maths for dyscalculia, and the coordination of movements for dyspraxia. They are identified through an assessment and compensated for with specialist therapy and adjustments at school.

See also: Psychological assessment · Neurodiversity

A specific phobia is an intense and disproportionate fear of a particular object or situation: spiders, blood, flying, heights, injections. The person often knows that the fear is excessive, but avoids whatever triggers it. Gradual exposure is the most effective treatment for it.

See also: Exposure therapy · Avoidance · Anxiety

Find out more: Phobias: exposure step by step

Stigma means the prejudices and rejecting attitudes towards people who have a mental disorder, for example believing that they are dangerous or lazy. It leads many people to hide their difficulties and to put off seeking care. Knowing more about mental disorders is one of the ways to push it back.

See also: Mental disorder · Psychoeducation

Stress is the reaction of the body and mind to a demand or a threat: the heart speeds up, the muscles tense and attention narrows. In the short term, it helps you act. When it lasts too long without recovery, it wears you out and can contribute to problems such as anxiety, insomnia or burnout.

See also: Anxiety · Burnout · Relaxation

Find out more: Preventing burnout

A suicidal crisis is a period of intense suffering in which the person can no longer see any way out other than death. It is temporary, and it can be got through with help. At such a time, do not leave the person alone, put anything dangerous out of reach, and contact your country's emergency services or your country's suicide prevention line.

See also: Suicidal thoughts · Psychiatric hospitalisation

Find out more: When someone close talks about dying: ask, make safe, stay

Suicidal thoughts range from wishing you no longer existed to thinking about ending your life, sometimes with a plan. They reflect very intense suffering, not a free choice. Talking about them, to someone close or to a professional, does not increase the risk: it helps. If the danger is immediate, call your country's emergency services.

See also: Suicidal crisis · Depression · Self-harm

Find out more: When someone close talks about dying: ask, make safe, stay

The therapeutic alliance is the quality of the collaboration between a person and their therapist: trust, and agreement on the goals and on how to work towards them. Studies show that a good alliance is linked to better results, whatever the method. It is therefore perfectly legitimate to look for a therapist you feel comfortable with.

See also: Psychotherapy

A tic is a sudden, rapid and repeated movement or sound that is hard to hold back, such as blinking, shrugging the shoulders or clearing the throat. Tics are common in children and often pass. Tourette syndrome combines several motor tics and at least one vocal tic over more than a year.

See also: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) · Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Tolerance means that, after taking a substance again and again, you need more of it to get the same effect. It is one of the signs that can point to dependence, with alcohol, certain drugs or certain medicines.

See also: Addiction · Withdrawal

Trichotillomania means repeatedly pulling out the hair on your head or body, and skin-picking disorder means repeatedly scratching or picking at your skin, to the point of leaving marks. The person tries to stop but cannot. These disorders are common and often hidden out of shame, and behavioural therapy can help.

See also: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) · Compulsion

Find out more: Pulling out hair, picking at skin: taking back control

The window of tolerance is an image: it is the zone of arousal in which you can feel emotions while still being able to think and act. Above it, you are overwhelmed, on high alert or angry; below it, you feel shut down, empty or cut off from yourself. Trauma treatment often aims to widen this zone.

See also: Psychological trauma · Emotion regulation · Dissociation

Find out more: Understanding trauma and the window of tolerance

Withdrawal means stopping a substance that the body has grown used to, such as alcohol, tobacco or certain medicines. Stopping can cause withdrawal symptoms, which are sometimes serious, for example with alcohol or certain anxiolytics: in these cases, stopping is done with medical support.

See also: Addiction · Tolerance · Anxiolytic

Find out more: Drinking less, or stopping · Stopping smoking