Psychiatric Research Glossary
100 terms total — 24 showing — Last updated 15 Sep 2026
placebo response rate
The percentage of patients in the placebo group who show clinically meaningful improvement during a trial.
psychopharmacology
The scientific study of how drugs affect mood, sensation, thinking, and behavior in psychiatric conditions.
psychotropic
Referring to medications that affect the mind, emotions, and behavior, commonly studied in psychiatric research for ment...
randomized controlled trial
A research study design where participants are randomly assigned to treatment groups, considered the gold standard for t...
regulatory endpoint
A study outcome measure that has been accepted by regulatory agencies for drug approval decisions.
regulatory milestone
Predetermined checkpoint in drug development representing significant progress toward regulatory approval.
relapse prevention
Therapeutic strategies and interventions designed to reduce the risk of symptom recurrence after treatment response or r...
responder analysis
Statistical analysis examining the proportion of patients achieving predefined improvement thresholds on clinical rating...
response trajectory
The pattern of symptom change over time during psychiatric treatment, often modeled statistically.
SAE
Adverse event that results in death, hospitalization, disability, or is life-threatening or medically significant.
SCID-5
Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Disorders, a semi-structured diagnostic interview tool.
serotonin syndrome
A potentially life-threatening condition caused by excessive serotonergic activity, often resulting from drug interactio...
SSRI
A class of antidepressant medications that primarily work by blocking the reuptake of serotonin in the brain.
statistical significance
A determination that observed differences in psychiatric research results are unlikely due to chance alone, typically in...
subsyndromal symptoms
Psychiatric symptoms that are present but do not meet the full diagnostic criteria for a specific disorder.
suicidality
A broad term encompassing suicidal ideation, behaviors, and attempts, used as a safety endpoint in psychiatric trials.
switch rate
The proportion of participants who transition from depression to mania/hypomania during treatment or study period.
tardive dyskinesia
A potentially irreversible movement disorder characterized by involuntary repetitive movements, typically caused by long...
TEAE
An adverse event that emerges during treatment or worsens from baseline after treatment initiation.
time-to-event analysis
Statistical method analyzing time until occurrence of specific clinical outcomes, accounting for censored data.
treatment adherence
Patient compliance with prescribed medication regimens, measured through pill counts, plasma levels, or electronic monit...
treatment-emergent
Adverse events or symptoms that occur or worsen after treatment initiation, used to establish causal relationship with s...
treatment-emergent adverse event
An adverse event that occurs after the start of study treatment and was not present at baseline.
treatment-emergent mania
Manic or hypomanic episodes that develop during antidepressant treatment in individuals with bipolar disorder.
treatment-naive
Referring to patients who have not previously received pharmacological treatment for their psychiatric condition.