What does that mean?

This page contains definitions of some common terms you may hear in connection with depression, low mood and stress

Anxiety disorder People with anxiety disorders feeling very worried and anxious all the time and might also have physical symptoms like shaking, sweating or a racing heartbeat.

Bipolar disorder someone with bipolar disorder will have severe mood swings. These usually last several weeks or months and are far beyond what most of us experience. The moods can range from feeling really low to really ‘high’ and happy.

Genetic predispostion something in your genetic makeup (genes) that increases your risk of getting certain illnesses or conditions- having a genetic predisposition does not mean you will definitely get the illness or condition.

Insomnia is being unable to get to sleep, or stay asleep at night.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a common condition causing abdominal pain, changes in bowel movements, gassiness, nausea, and other symptoms. Nobody really knows what causes it but it is thought that there are links with depression and stress. http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/ibs1.shtml

Nausea is feeling sick or like you are going to throw up.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder A person with OCD gets awful thoughts coming into their mind, even when they try to keep them out and may have to touch or count things or repeat the same action like washing over and over to feel better.

Panic a sudden unexpected surge of anxiety

Phobia is a fear of particular situations or things that are not dangerous and which most people find OK like spiders, heights or crowds.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder After a traumatic event of any kind (including war, natural disaster and sexual abuse) a person may experience feelings of guilt, depression, numbness, feeling ‘on edge’ and having flashbacks of the traumatic event.

Postnatal depression (sometimes called perinatal depression) is an episode of depression that occurs during pregnancy and after a baby is born.

Psychosis/Psychotic A person experiencing psychosis might hear, see, feel or smell things that aren’t there (hallucinations); have strange thoughts and beliefs about things (paranoia); have muddled or difficult to understand ways of thinking (thought disorder) and might not know they are ill (lack of insight). Psychosis can occur in lots of mental health problems including psychotic depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Withdrawal the physical and mental feelings and symptoms you get when you stop taking or reduce the does of a prescription or street drug.

Therapies

Alternative/complementary therapies are a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products, that are not currently part of conventional medicine. These include acupuncture, reiki, homeopathy, aromatherapy and many others.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is based on the here and now and focuses on what we do (“Behaviour) and how it influences the way we think (“Cognitive”) to help make changes. It has a very good evidence base.

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is based on the importance of being aware of the present moment and not worrying over the past or future. It has good evidence for being useful for people who have depression and particularly those whose depression relapses.

Counselling is a form of support to explore feelings in a safe, confidential setting. There are lots of different approaches but all counselling is based respect, acceptance and not judging.

Community Mental Health Nurse A nurse with extra training in mental health. S/he works in the community to support people with a mental health problem.

Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) This is a team of mental health professionals who support people living in the community with a mental health problem. There will usually be nurses, a psychiatrist, a psychologist and some support workers in this team.

Counsellors A counsellor helps people explore their feelings through listening and guiding in a safe and supportive environment. Counsellors can also have lots of different approaches to mental health.

General Practitioner (GP) A General Practitioner is a medical doctor with additional training who specialised in diagnosing and treating illnesses in the community. S/he is the first point of contact for most other services.

Occupational Therapist (OT) Occupational therapists work with people with mental health problems to help them manage day to day activities including home, work or training issues.

Psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a medical doctor with extra training in mental health. S/he can prescribe medication and may work in a hospital or with people living in the community.

Psychotherapist works with people with mental health problems either 1:1 or in a group. Psychotherapists can have lots of different approaches to mental health.

Pharmacists are experts on medication and can answer all your questions about doses, side effect and types of antidepressant.

Support Worker may work for a CMHT or a voluntary organisation and provides practical support (e.g. budgeting, getting out and about etc.) for people with mental health problems.

Brought to you by Depression Alliance Scotland.
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