Mental Health Services Glossary

Assertive Community Treatment - an intensive, team-based approach to providing comprehensive mental health services to i...

Observable emotional expression and mood state as assessed by clinician during examination.

A movement disorder characterized by feelings of inner restlessness and an irresistible urge to move, commonly caused by...

The diminished or complete inability to experience pleasure from activities that were previously found enjoyable, a hall...

A neurological or psychiatric symptom in which the patient is unaware of or denies having a mental illness or cognitive...

In DSM-IV-TR classification system, one of five dimensions used to provide comprehensive assessment of patient functioni...

Primary mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, or schizophrenia under the former DSM-IV classification sy...

Personality disorders and mental retardation under the former DSM-IV multiaxial classification system.

A 21-item self-report questionnaire used to measure the severity of depressive symptoms in clinical and research setting...

The protected clinical record documenting mental health and substance use services, subject to stricter confidentiality...

A mood disorder characterized by at least one manic episode, which may be preceded or followed by hypomanic or major dep...

Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale; a standardised, evidence-based tool used to assess and document the severity of...

Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths; a standardised multi-purpose tool used in child mental health systems to asses...

A clinical hypothesis about the causes, triggers, and maintaining factors of a patient's psychological difficulties.

Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol - a standardized scale used to monitor and manage alcohol withdrawa...

An atypical antipsychotic medication reserved for treatment-resistant schizophrenia, requiring mandatory haematological...

An evidence-based psychotherapy that targets the relationship between maladaptive thoughts, emotions, and behaviours to...

Clinical information about a patient gathered from sources other than the patient themselves, such as family members, ca...

Presence of two or more distinct mental health disorders or medical conditions in the same individual.

A legal-psychiatric determination that a defendant has a sufficient present ability to consult with counsel and understa...

A clinical condition, circumstance, or factor that makes a particular treatment inadvisable or potentially harmful. In m...

Immediate therapeutic response to acute psychological distress or psychiatric emergency.

A clinically significant deterioration in a patient's psychiatric functioning, typically referring to a worsening of pre...

A dissociative symptom characterized by a persistent or recurrent sense of detachment from one's own mental processes or...