Bedlam jargon buster

18 October 2013

Acute care

Short term treatment for illnesses that start quickly and have painful or distressing symptoms.

 

Antipsychotic

Medications that are usually used to treat psychosis. Sometimes they are used to treat other conditions

 

Brain imaging

The process of taking pictures of the living brain.  This is done non-invasively, meaning that there is no need for procedures that involve entering the body.

 

Clinician

A term which is used to describe someone who provides care and treatment to patients.

 

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

A talking treatment which can help you to overcome upsetting and unhelpful ways of thinking and behaviour. It helps you to work out your own ways of changing them

 

Community Mental Health Team (CMHT)

A team of people from different health and social care professions who work in your community to help you to recover from, and cope with, a mental health problem.

 

Depression

When you're depressed, you may have feelings of extreme sadness that can last for a long time. These feelings are severe enough to interfere with your daily life.

 

Early intervention

A way of picking up the early signs of a serious mental illness. This is so that treatment can start as early as possible to help people to maintain their mental health.

 

Formal patient

A person who is legally kept in hospital under a section of The Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA)

 

Home treatment

Home treatment (sometimes called Crisis Resolution) is a way of helping people at home rather than in hospital.

 

Informal patient

Someone who is in hospital because they feel that it could be helpful for them. Someone who is not detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA)

 

Mental Health Act 2007 (MHA)

The legal framework governing the treatment of people with mental illness in England and Wales.

 

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic mental health condition that is usually associated with both obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviour.

 

Personality disorder

Personality disorders are a range of conditions that affect a person's thoughts, emotions and behaviour. Most people with personality disorders find it difficult to deal with other people.

 

Psychiatrist

A medical doctor with specialist experience and qualifications in mental illness and emotional disorders. He or she has overall responsibility for your care. 

 

Psychological therapies

Psychological therapies are also known as 'talking therapies' or 'talking treatments'. They are ways of helping people through talking. They give you the chance to talk about and deal with your problems.

 

Psychotherapist

Someone who has trained to carry out one or more of the psychotherapies. They can be from any professional background.

 

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a condition that causes a range of psychological symptoms including hallucinations (hearing or seeing things that do not exist) and delusions (believing in things that are untrue).

 

Social Worker

A professional who can help you with practical aspects of life, and who will often also have had training in psychological help.

 

Ward manager

The senior nurse in charge of running a hospital ward.

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