Dictionary catalogue

Also known as ACT

A therapy that develops acceptance, present-moment awareness and action guided by personal values.

A sudden medication-associated sustained muscle contraction that produces abnormal posture or movement.

A person's written preferences about future mental health treatment and care, made while they can express those preferences.

The observable expression and responsiveness of emotion during an interaction.

The breadth and variety of emotional expression observed during an interaction.

The degree to which observed emotional expression changes in response to topics or events.

A medication-associated syndrome of inner restlessness and a compelling need to move.

A marked reduction in interest in, or pleasure from, activities that were usually rewarding.

A class of medicines used in the treatment of depression and selected anxiety or related conditions.

A class of medicines used in the treatment of psychosis and selected other mental health conditions.

An emotional and physiological response to perceived threat, uncertainty or anticipated harm.

A group of conditions in which anxiety or fear is persistent, excessive and interferes with daily life.

A medicine used to reduce anxiety symptoms in selected clinical circumstances.

Observable aspects of presentation such as dress, grooming, posture and general physical presentation.

Also known as ACT

An intensive, team-based model that delivers coordinated mental health care in community settings.

The capacity to select and direct mental focus toward relevant information.

Also known as hearing voices

The perception of sound, such as voices or other noises, without a corresponding external acoustic source.

Observable actions, engagement and manner during an interaction.

A structured approach that increases engagement with meaningful and reinforcing activities.

A mental health condition involving episodes of marked mood elevation and episodes of depression or other mood disturbance.

A person's ability to understand, retain, use or weigh relevant information and communicate a decision for a particular matter.

A coordinated process for assessing needs, planning care, linking services and reviewing progress.

A systematic process of gathering and integrating information to understand a person's current needs and clinical presentation.

A structured, revisable explanation that integrates factors contributing to a person's current difficulties and care needs.

A purposeful conversation used to gather information, understand concerns and establish a therapeutic working relationship.

The set of mental processes used to take in, organise, retain and use information.

Also known as CBT

A structured therapy that examines links between thoughts, feelings and behaviour and develops practical skills for change.

A model in which primary care and mental health practitioners share structured responsibility for coordinated care.

Also known as CMHT

A multidisciplinary team providing mental health assessment, treatment and support in the community.

A repetitive behaviour or mental act performed in response to an urge, rule or obsession.

The capacity to sustain mental effort and focus over time.

A voluntary agreement to a proposed action made by a person with relevant decision-making capacity and adequate information.

A strong desire or urge to use a substance.

An acute, fluctuating syndrome involving disturbance of attention, awareness and other cognitive functions.

A fixed belief held with strong conviction despite evidence or shared cultural understanding to the contrary.

A syndrome involving acquired and persistent decline in cognitive function that interferes with everyday life.

A pattern in which substance use becomes difficult to control and increasingly prioritised, often with physiological adaptation.

An experience of detachment from one's own thoughts, feelings, body or actions.

A mental health condition characterised by persistent depressed mood, loss of interest or related changes that impair functioning.

Also known as DBT

A structured therapy that combines acceptance and change strategies and teaches skills for emotion regulation and relationships.

A disruption in the usual integration of awareness, memory, identity, emotion, perception or behaviour.

Parkinsonian movement features caused by a medicine, commonly including rigidity, slowing or tremor.

A subjectively reported mood that is unusually raised, expansive or euphoric for the context.

Rapid or marked shifts in emotional expression that may be difficult to regulate.

A term used for a stable mood that is neither markedly depressed nor elevated.

Higher-order abilities used to plan, organise, shift approach and regulate goal-directed behaviour.

A therapy that supports planned, gradual contact with feared cues while reducing avoidance and new learning develops.

A sensory-like experience occurring without a corresponding external stimulus.

A pattern of substance use that has caused damage to physical or mental health.

The internal experience of words or a voice recognised as one's own thinking.

A person's awareness and understanding of their experiences, difficulties and possible need for care.

Also known as IPT

A time-limited therapy focused on relationships, roles, grief and interpersonal difficulties linked with symptoms.

A temporary state following substance use that produces clinically relevant changes in cognition, perception, behaviour or physical function.

An unwanted thought, image or impulse that enters awareness and is experienced as difficult to dismiss.

Treatment provided under mental health legislation when specified legal criteria and safeguards are met.

A state of increased sensitivity to frustration or readiness to respond with annoyance or anger.

Care delivered with the minimum necessary restriction of a person's rights, choice and movement.

A subjectively reported state of sadness, reduced emotional wellbeing or lowered mood.

The processes involved in registering, storing and retrieving information.

Also known as MSE

A structured description of a person's current mental presentation, based on interview and observation.

Also known as MMSE

A brief standardised instrument that samples selected areas of cognitive function.

An incorrect interpretation of an external sound that is actually present.

A person's sustained, subjectively reported emotional state.

A term for medicines used to treat or reduce recurrence of significant mood episodes.

Also known as MI

A collaborative conversational approach that explores ambivalence and strengthens a person's own reasons for change.

Also known as MDT

A group of practitioners from different disciplines who contribute complementary expertise to shared care.

A recurrent and unwanted thought, image or urge experienced as intrusive and distressing.

Also known as OCD

A condition involving obsessions, compulsions or both that cause distress or interfere with functioning.

Awareness of relevant aspects of time, place, person and situation.

A sudden episode of intense fear or discomfort with rapidly developing physical and cognitive symptoms.

A marked and persistent fear linked to a particular object or situation, with avoidance or significant distress.

A structured account of mental health experiences, treatments, context and relevant health history over time.

Structured information and discussion that supports understanding of a condition, treatment or self-management strategy.

The observed pace, amount and quality of movement associated with mental activity.

A syndrome in which a person's interpretation of reality is substantially altered, often involving hallucinations, delusions or disorganised thinking.

A standardised set of items used to describe or monitor the severity or frequency of selected features.

Practice that supports autonomy, strengths, hope, participation and a person's own recovery goals.

A return to a previous pattern of substance use after a period of reduction, control or abstinence.

A structured process for identifying and formulating possible harms, protective factors and immediate safety needs.

A collaborative, structured plan that identifies warning signs, coping strategies, support contacts and steps for urgent help.

A mental health condition that may affect thinking, perception, emotion and functioning over time.

A brief tool used to identify whether more detailed assessment may be warranted.

Intentional self-injury or self-poisoning, regardless of the person's stated purpose or degree of suicidal intent.

Observable qualities of spoken communication, including rate, volume, rhythm and quantity.

A model that matches the intensity of support to need and adjusts it as needs and response change.

Also known as SCI

An interview that uses a defined sequence of questions and decision rules.

A condition involving a problematic pattern of substance use that causes significant impairment or distress.

A clinical formulation of factors associated with possible suicidal thoughts, plans or behaviour at a particular time.

An approach that assists a person to understand, consider and communicate their own decisions.

A persistent drug-associated movement disorder, often involving involuntary movements of the face, mouth or limbs.

The experience or belief that one's thoughts are accessible to other people.

The organisation, flow and connection of ideas as expressed in speech or writing.

A reduced response to a substance after repeated exposure, so a greater amount may be needed for a similar effect.

An event or set of circumstances experienced as harmful or threatening and capable of producing lasting effects.

An approach that recognises the effects of trauma and seeks to promote safety, choice, collaboration and avoid re-traumatisation.

A group of symptoms that can occur when repeated substance use is reduced or stopped.