Depressive Disorders Support Group

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Acronyms

Bipolar Glossary

Medical Dictionary

Phobias

Abnormal Behavior - To understand what "abnormal" means, first consider "normal".  Normal simply means average.  People who behave normally are those who act and behave in an average, typical way.  Statistically speaking, normal behavior is that which we would expect from the majority of people.  Abnormal, therefore, refers to any behavior that is not typical.  In the practice of psychology it has further come to mean mental illness. 

Abreaction - An automatic, unconscious reaction that a person has in response to a stimulus which reminds the person of a situation they experienced before. As an example, consider a person who has been physically abused who responds to a raised hand by cringing even the though the other person's intent was to brush away a stray thread.  Abreaction can also be used to describe the process a therapist uses to desensitize, or help the patient to stop having these automatic reactions.  Within the safety of a therapy session, the patient can learn to replace the inappropriate reaction with one that is more suited to the situation. 

Acute - Abrupt onset of a disorder or symptom; runs a short course.

Addiction - An addiction occurs when you cannot permanently stop yourself from doing something even though it is harmful to you. Usually the things we become addicted to act directly upon the brain and body to produce a desirable alteration in how we think or feel. Common addictions are to tobacco products, drugs, alcohol, gambling, pornography. When we speak of addiction we often use terms like "tolerance" and "withdrawal". Tolerance occurs when it takes more and more of the substance to get the same amount of pleasure. Withdrawal occurs when you experience painful, and sometimes dangerous, symptoms when you go for any period without that substance.  An addiction can be psychological, physical, or both. 

Adjustment Disorder - Adjustment disorder occurs when a person experiences depression and/or anxiety that is clearly in response to an identifiable stressor or stressors (changes in employment, marital status, deaths, divorce, etc.). 

Affect - Affect refers to the patient's display of emotion, especially their facial expressions.  It contrasts with the term "mood" in that mood is a person's subjective opinion of how they feel.  Affect is what is seen by the outside observer. 

Affective Disorder - Another name for mood disorder.

Affective Spectrum - A grouping of other possible medical problems such as attention deficit disorder, migraines, panic and anxiety disorders, alcoholism, etc. which have an increased probability of diagnosis for those with an affective disorder.

Agoraphobia - Literally, "fear of the marketplace". Agoraphobia is an often paralyzing fear of being in any public place in which people feel it will be difficult to escape from or receive the help in case they have a panic attack. Persons with agoraphobia almost always have panic attacks that preceded and contributed to their agoraphobia.  In severe cases, persons with agoraphobia are unable to leave their homes without the aid of a 'safe' person. 

Agranulocytosis - Loss of white blood cells.

Akathesia - Akathesia is a common side effect associated with the use of anti-psychotic medications (neuroleptics). It is characterized by excessive, usually repetitive, movements such as pacing, foot tapping and rocking. It is often described as a 'feeling that you are going to come out of your own skin" if you don't move. 

Akinesia - Listlessness.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) - An organization of alcoholics formed in 1935 that uses certain group methods, such as inspirational-supportive techniques, to help rehabilitate chronic alcoholics.

Alcoholism - Excessive dependence on or addiction to alcohol, usually to the point that the person’s physical and mental health is threatened or harmed.

Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome - Symptom complex resulting from the cessation or reduction in alcohol intake in a person who has been drinking heavily and has developed a physical dependence. Includes tremulousness, seizures, hallucinations, and autonomic hyperactivity (delirium tremens or DT's).

Alexithymia - Inability or difficulty in describing or being aware of one's emotions or moods; associated with depression, substance abuse, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Alogia - Absence of thought or speech.

Alopecia - Hair loss, especially from the head.

Amenorrhea - Absence of menstruation.

Amnesia - Partial or total loss of memory.

Analgesic - Medication which reduces pain. 

Analytic Psychology - Jung’s system of psychology, characterized by a belief in the collective unconscious, the archetype, and the complex.

Angioedema - Swelling of the skin.

Anhedonia - State of being unable to experience pleasure from what would normally be a pleasurable.  An integral feature of major depression.

Anhidrosis - Dry skin and eyes.

Anorexia Nervosa - According to the DSM-IV, a person with Anorexia Nervosa must have the following symptoms: refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height; intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight; disturbance in the way in which one's body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of body weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight; and amenorrhea (in postmenarcheal females). Anorexia nervosa can be fatal because of the extreme stresses that it places on the body.

Anorgasmia - Inability to achieve orgasm.

Anticholinergic - A drug which inhibits the action of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. 

Anticonvulsant - A drug used to control or prevent seizures; a number of these drugs are also used to alleviate the mania of Bipolar Disorder.

Antidepressant Drug - Any of a class of psychotherapeutic drugs used in the treatment of depression.

Antiparkinsonism Drug - Drug that relieves the symptoms of Parkinsonism and is effective in countering the extrapyramidal side effects often induced by antipsychotic drugs by acting on the central nervous system to diminish skeletal muscle tone and involuntary movements.

Antipsychotic - Any of a class of psychotherapeutic drugs used to treat psychosis, particularly schizophrenia.  Also called neuroleptic, major tranquilizer or ataractic drug.

Antisocial Personality Disorder - This disorder is characterized by a long-standing disregard of other people's rights, often crossing the line and violating those rights.

Anxiety - An uncomfortable emotional state associated with a perceived danger, feelings of powerlessness and prolonged tension in preparation for the expected danger.  Physical symptoms include increased heart rate, disturbed breathing, trembling, sweating, and vasomotor changes.

Anxiolytic - A medicine that relieves anxiety. 

Aphasia - An impairment of the ability to speak or to comprehend words, usually acquired as a result of a stroke or other brain injury. 

Arrhythmia - Irregular heartbeat.

Assessment - Assessment refers to the process of measurement. In mental health, assessment refers to the process of having your personality, intelligence or brain functioning tested. 

Assimilation - Assimilation refers to a process by which something becomes more and more similar to something else until it becomes totally absorbed and loses its own identity. In psychology, the term Assimilation is used in two contexts. First, in the context of cultural assimilation, in which someone from one culture assimilates into another so that they can no longer be told apart from the new culture. Assimilation is also a process described by the famous psychologist Jean Piaget who identified two cognitive processes (Assimilation and Accommodation) at work in the normal learning process of children. According to Piaget, when a child becomes aware of something new that it has never seen before it has two choices for making sense out of that thing. It can interpret that thing in terms of what it already knows (Assimilation), or it can learn a new way for making sense of that thing (Accommodation). Taken together, these two processes make up adaptation, or the child's ability to adapt to his or her environment. 

Ataxia - Lack of body coordination.

Attention - Concentration. The aspect of consciousness that relates to the amount of effort exerted in focusing on certain aspects of an experience, activity, or task.

Attention Deficit Disorder - Beginning to be called "ADD/WO" meaning "without" hyperactivity. In comparison to ADHD, this condition is characterized by fewer serious conduct problems, less impulsivity, greater sluggishness, greater anxiety, and greater depressed mood. Children suffering from this condition exhibit inattention, disorganization and difficulty completing tasks. 

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder - A neurobiological disorder, abbreviated as ADHD, AD/HD and recently, ADD/H. Typically children with ADHD have developmentally inappropriate behavior, including poor attention skills, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. These characteristics arise in early childhood, typically before age 7, are chronic, and last at least 6 months. Children with ADHD may also experience problems in the areas of social skills and self esteem.

Atypical Depression - In the DSM-IV, a diagnosing clinician may specify that a person's depression is "atypical" when that person's mood lifts in response to positive events, and when that person also shows at least two of the following: weight gain or increased appetite, sleeping longer than normal, a heavy feeling in the body, or a history of sensitivity to social rejection.

Behavioral Medicine - Application of principles of behavior therapy to the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of medical disorders.  Applications include such things wellness programs for healthy people and helping patients with treatment compliance.

Behavioral Therapy - Behavior therapy is an approach to psychotherapy which analyzes problems of human functioning in mechanistic terms as inputs and outputs of a system.  A behavior therapist will analyze a person's problematic behavior in terms of what reinforces or punishes that behavior. The behavioral therapist will then systematically alter the reinforcers or punishers to get the person to change their behaviors. 

Benzodiazepines ~ A class of drugs used as minor tranquilizers or hypnotics.

Bipolar Illness ~ A condition where a person swings between states of depression and mania. Different types of Bipolar illness are distinguished based on the degree of mood swings.  Also called Bipolar Disorder (commonly abbreviated as BP) or the older, lesser used term, Manic Depression. 

Bipolar I - Bipolar disorder in which a patient meets the criteria for a full manic episode, usually sufficiently severe to require hospitalization.  May also have features of psychosis such as delusions and hallucinations. 

Bipolar II - A classification of Bipolar Disorder characterized by episodes of hypomania and major depression, without the presence of psychotic features. 

Bipolar III - A classification of Bipolar Disorder called cyclothymia which is characterized by minor episodes of hypomania and depression. 

Bipolar IV - A classification of Bipolar Disorder characterized by antidepressant induced mania or hypomania. 

Bipolar V - A classification of Bipolar Disorder characterized by major depression and a family history of Bipolar Disorder. 

Bipolar VI - A classification of Bipolar Disorder characterized by unipolar mania; very rare.

Bonding - Refers to the process of how people form more emotionally intimate relationships with each other.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) - Persons with BPD have difficulty understanding themselves, other people, and the nature of the relationships they have with other people. They tend to see themselves as fairly worthless and empty inside.  They also tend to see themselves and others in a very black or white, good or bad sort of way. They are typically emotionally unstable, and frequently will have outbursts of anger or depression alternating rapidly with good feelings about themselves. They tend to have intense, but short-lived relationships with people. BPD persons are also very impulsive and frequently cannot stop themselves from acting out in self-destructive ways. They are often prone to feelings of suicidality or desires to self-injure. They may engage in self-injury in order to have a sense of control over their internal chaos or to overcome feelings of emptiness or numbness. 

Boundaries - In human relationships, we set boundaries between ourselves and other persons. We let some people become close to us and expose our vulnerabilities; we keep others at a distance to avoid being hurt. Sometimes we don't set up proper sorts of boundaries in our relationships. We might let someone who wants to hurt us in too close or we push away those who genuinely care for us.  Setting up proper boundaries is important to our mental health. 

Bradycardia - Slow heartbeat. 

Bradykinesia - Very slow movement

Bulimia - Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by repeated bouts of binge eating followed by purging (usually by vomiting or laxative use) in order to avoid weight gain.  Repeated binging and purging may cause disturbances of body electrolytes, erosion of the teeth and other serious health problems.

Catharsis ~ The release of ideas, thoughts, and repressions accompanied by an  emotional response and relief.

Catatonic ~ Condition of being apparently awake to the observer, but being unresponsive to stimulus.

Cerebral Atrophy - The Cerebral Cortex is the outer layer of the brain which is responsible for doing the different jobs that help a person to be conscious.  Cerebral Atrophy means that the Cortex part of the brain is shrunken in size. This decrease in brain mass affects your ability to think and reason.  This condition occurs in a variety of illnesses and addictions. 

Cerebral Electrotherapy (CET) ~ A treatment using low-intensity pulses of direct electrical current. Used, among other things, for he treatment of depression, anxiety, and insomnia.

Chorea ~ A sudden involuntary movement of arms or legs. 

Chronic - A disease or condition which is long-lasting.

Civil Commitment - In statutes governing hospitalization of the mentally ill, a legal term meaning a warrant for imprisonment.  At the recommendation of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Bar Association, the term "commitment" had been replaced by "hospitalization".

Clinical Depression - Refers to depression which is severe enough to require treatment, as opposed to sub-clinical depression, which is not severe enough to require treatment.  Symptoms of depression usually consist of feelings of sadness, guilt, or unworthiness; crying spells; disturbance in appetite and weight changes; and disturbance in sleep. 

Clinical Psychology - The branch of Psychology having to do with the applied use of psychological knowledge to improve human functioning. 

Clusters A, B and C - The DSM-IV divides the personality disorder diagnoses into three groupings or clusters based on their having characteristics in common.  

Cluster A  - includes Paranoid, Schizoid, and Schizotypal personality disorders which are linked together based on their shared mild-psychosis symptom presentations. 

Cluster B  - includes Antisocial, Borderline, Histrionic, and Narcissistic personality disorders, grouped together based on their shared 'dramatic and erratic' characteristics. 

Cluster C - includes Avoidant, Dependent, and Obsessive-Compulsive personality disorders, grouped together based on their shared anxious-avoidant qualities. 

At this time, these clusters are based on superficial symptom similarities only and not on any genetic basis.

Codependence - There is no official DSM-IV definition and criteria list for Co-Dependency. Instead, Co-Dependency tends to be a loosely defined condition which has the following symptoms: difficulty with open direct expression of feelings or discussion of interpersonal problems, and 2) willingness to enable others' dysfunctional behavior (such as alcoholism, drug use, physical or emotional abuse or sexual abuse). 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) -  CBT is a school of psychotherapy which is used to treat depression by understanding the importance of thoughts upon emotion.  A core CBT understanding of depressive emotions is that subliminal, often irrational, thoughts precede and cause troubling feelings. To change the troubling feelings to more positive ones, it is necessary to help persons identify their thoughts, analyze them with respect to their rationality and challenge those that are ill-formed and exaggerated. The CBT therapist helps his or her patient by teaching the patient to view his or her thinking as a type of behavior that he or she can bring under conscious control and thus control their emotions. 

Co-Morbid ~ Refers to two or more things that are occurring at the same time.  Two or more illnesses or disorders may be described as being co-morbid.

Compulsion - Uncontrollable, repetitive, and unwanted urge to perform an act.  Failure to perform the act leads to feelings of anxiety.

Coping Mechanism - Unconscious or conscious way of dealing with stress.

Co-therapy - Psychotherapy in which more than one therapist treats the individual patient or the group.  Also called cooperative, dual, multiple, or three-cornered therapy.

Counseling - Form of guidance in which a trained person offers advice or education about specific problems in living.

Crisis - In psychiatry, a distressing sense of psychological distress that has an acute onset and that causes impaired functioning in a variety of areas.

Crisis Intervention - Brief therapeutic approach used in emergency rooms of general or psychiatric hospitals that is intended to reduce symptoms rather than to cure.

Critical Period - Specific period of early development during which an organism acquires certain patterns of behavior as a result of internal or external clues.

Counselor - Usually a generic term for someone who provides advice and support to another person or persons. 

Counter-Transference - This concept must be considered in tandem with the term "transference", which refers to the patient's transfer of emotional energy from an older relationship to a newer one (such as a therapist). Counter-Transference occurs when a therapist transfers his or her emotional energy from an older relationship to a patient.  More commonly, the term counter-transference is used to describe situations where a therapist fails to keep appropriate emotional distance from the patient. It might be used to describe a therapist who feels unable to cope emotionally with a patient's problems or a therapist who falls in love with a patient. Counter-Transference is undesirable in the therapeutic relationship and therapists have an ethical responsibility to be aware of these issues and to see seek help for them.  See also Transference. 

Cyclothymia - A mild form of Bipolar Disorder, Cyclothymia is diagnosable when a person experiences alternating moods that swing on a regular (often monthly-quarterly basis) between mild mania (hypomania) and mild depression. For at least a two year period there must be no evidence that the mild hypomania ever turned into a true Mania, or that the mild depression turned into a true diagnosable Major Depression. The disorder must be present and documentable for at least two years before it can be formally diagnosed. 

Decompensation - To "decompensate" means to fall apart mentally and emotionally. Decompensation occurs during the onset of a psychotic process. Non-psychotic persons may decompensate when the stressors they are faced with are greater than they can cope with. 

Defense Mechanisms - Defense mechanisms negative adaptations to problems and stress. 

Delirium - Mental confusion which is usually temporary.  Disordered speech and hallucinations are often present.

Delusions - A delusion is a persistent belief that something is true when there is no evidence suggesting that this is the case. The delusional person cannot be dissuaded from the delusional belief by force of logical argument. 

Dementia - Mental deterioration due to organic causes.

Depersonalization - Depersonalization is a mild but often frightening form of dissociation. Persons who have depersonalized are still aware of what is going on around them, but feel that they don't recognize themselves or feel alien to themselves. 

Depression - Mental state characterized by feelings of sadness, loneliness, despair, low self-esteem, and self-reproach; accompanying signs include psychomotor retardation or at times agitation, withdrawal from interpersonal contact, and vegetative symptoms such as insomnia and anorexia. The term refers either to a mood that is so characterized or to a mood disorder.

Depression: Other Names Used - Other names sometimes used for depression are depressive reaction, reactive depression, secondary depression, depressive illness, biologic depression, major depressive disorder, depressive phase of manic-depressive disorder.

Descriptive Psychiatry - System of psychiatry focusing primarily on the study of observable symptoms and behavioral phenomena, rather than underlying psychodynamic processes.

Diagnosis ~ The identification (and possible classification) of a disease or disorder.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - The DSM-IV (1994, APA) is the official manual listing psychiatric and psychological disorders. This document, published by the American Psychiatric Association, takes its coding scheme from the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) which is a diagnostic manual for all medical diseases.  See also DSM-IV Diagnostic Axial System.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) - DBT is a form of Cognitive Behavioral psychotherapy which works well for Borderline Personality Disordered patients.  Such patients frequently alternate between very different mental and emotional states. The dialectical approach handles the alternations by working with periodically switching between issues to work on.

Diplopia - Double vision.

Disorientation - Confusion; impairment of awareness of time, place, and person (the position of the self in relation to other persons).

Disruptive Behavior Disorders - Disorders characterized by inattention, over aggressiveness, delinquency, destructiveness, hostility, feelings of rejection, negativism, or impulsiveness.  They include attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder.

Dissociation - Dissociation is a psychological process involving alterations in identity or sense of self. These alterations in sense of self can include: a relatively mild and transient sense that the world or the self is "unreal" (derealization and depersonalization); more permanent states such as amnesia (loss of memory) or fugue states (where a person forgets who they are and assumes a new identity); and the most severe form known as Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder) wherein identity is fragmented into more than one unique personality. The act of dissociation itself is probably most often triggered by trauma or other severe stress.

Drug Dependence - Habituation or addiction to the use of a drug or chemical substance, with or without physical dependence.  Physical dependence is characterized by a withdrawal syndrome.

DSM-IV - See Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

DSM-IV Diagnostic Axial System - Mental Disorders are diagnosed according to the DSM-IV or Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, currently in edition 4 published by the American Psychiatric Association (1994). A DSM-IV diagnosis has five parts. Each part is called an Axis. Each Axis gives information on a different sort of information.   

Axis I (1) provides information on clinical disorders such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, drug addiction, etc. 

Axis II (2) provides information on developmental disorders - ones that occurred in childhood and are still present (e.g., autism, or personality disorders). 

Axis III (3) provides information on a persons physical condition. Information on any significant medical disorders that could be contributing to the diagnosed individuals' stress or symptoms is noted here. 

Axis IV (4) is a place to describe the individuals social and economic situation (e.g., their living and working situations, important relationships or the lack thereof, finances, etc.). 

Axis V (5) is a simple rating scale called the Global Assessment of Functioning. the GAF goes from 0 to 100 and provides a way to summarize in a single number just how messed up a person is by their diagnoses. 

Dual Diagnosis - Term used to describe a condition where a single person has more than one Axis I major clinical psychological/psychiatric diagnosis. Often, this phrase is used to describe people who have a severe mental illness such as Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder, or Schizophrenia and also a co-existing substance abuse problem. 

Dysarthria - Unclear speech.

Dyspepia - Indigestion, or pain in the stomach. 

Dysphagia - Difficulty swallowing.

Dysphoric - Feeling unwell or unhappy.

Dyspnea - Difficult or labored breathing. 

Dysthymia ~ A type of low-level depression that has lasted for at least two years without any substantial remission. The opposite of Euthymia.

Dystonia - Muscle spasms.

Dysuria - Difficulty urinating.

Eclectic Therapy - There are several well defined schools of psychotherapy, each with its own organizing philosophy, procedures, techniques and methods. Some therapists use only the teachings of one particular school of therapy. Other therapists mix and match techniques, which is called Eclectic Therapy.

Electro-Convulsive Therapy - Electro-Convulsive Therapy (ECT) is a psychiatric treatment for persons with very severe mental disorders that have proven unresponsive to other forms of treatment.  ECT involves a sending an electric current through the patient's brain while they are under anesthesia.  Patients may experience mild memory loss for events around the time of the procedure.  Although this form of treatment is very controversial, it can bring about rapid relief from severe depression.  It is generally only used as a last resort treatment. 

Empty Chair - Gestalt Therapy technique for working with blocked emotions. The therapist puts an empty chair in front of a patient and asks them to speak from the heart to the imaginary person sitting in the chair.  This imaginary person is someone they are unable to speak to in their real life, such as a deceased parent.  This technique can bring about a powerful catharsis. 

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) ~ A form of psychotherapy developed by Psychologist Francine Shapiro, Ph.D. that utilizes a combination of other therapies in conjunction with focusing on an external stimulus (commonly eye movement, hence the name). This is helpful to patients suffering from PTSD or phobias. 

Electromyogram (EMG) ~ A graphic record of electrical muscle activity as recorded by an Electromyograph.

Emotional Disturbance - Emotional disorder or illness.

Empirically Supported Therapy - Referring to a therapy that has been extensively studied using rigorous scientific methods and that has been found to work well. 

Enmeshment - The term "Enmeshment" comes from the family systems theory tradition. Enmeshment refers to a condition where two or more people weave their lives and identities around one another so tightly that it is difficult for any one of them to function independently. 

Episode - A specific period of mania or depression.

Erectile Dysfunction (ED) ~ Inability to achieve penile erection.

Etiology - The causes of something, such as disease. 

Euphoria - Feeling of well-being or elation.

Euthymia ~ A normal, non-depressed, positive mood.  The opposite of dysthymia. 

Exhaustion State - Final stage of the body’s response to major stress, as in the general adaptation syndrome.

Existential Therapy - Existential Therapy refers to therapies that pay attention to themes most clearly delineated in existential philosophy: Death, The Meaning of life, Freedom and Responsibility, Identity/Boundaries, etc. 

Extinction - A term from psychological Learning Theory. Extinction refers to the process of losing a behavior. When the behavior no longer occurs it is said to have been extinguished. Usually, behaviors become extinct when they are not reinforced for a while and thus don't do anything for the person. 

Extrapyramidal Syndrome - Abnormalities of movement related to injury of motor pathways other than the pyramidal tract; e.g., parkinsonism, akathisia, dystonia, tardive dyskinesia. 

Factitious Disorder - See Munchausen's Syndrome (and Munchausen's By Proxy) 

Family Systems - Family Systems refers to a school of psychotherapy founded in the Cybernetic theories that became popular in the 1960s. Dr. Gregory Bateson was a key theorist. Most therapies before Family Systems took as their object the individual patient. Family systems theorists rejected this approach and focused instead on how an individual patient existed within the social group that they associated with - usually their family. 

Fear - Fear is the name given to the emotion you feel when you perceive yourself to be in acute danger.  In contrast to anxiety, it is based up a real, rather than imaginary threat. 

Flight of Ideas - A symptom of mania; used to describe the rapid changing, grandiose plans often experienced by those in a manic episode.

Frigidity - Colloquial term referring, in the female, to lack of sexual response or feeling, ranging from complete lack of arousal to incomplete climax. 

Functional Disorder - Disorder that is not caused by an anatomical defect or any other identifiable or demonstrable cause.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) ~ Disorder characterized by excessive anxiety and worry that has been present for at least 6 months. Other symptoms may include: edgy feelings, fatigue, restlessness, difficulty concentrating or mind going blank, irritability, muscular tension or sleep disturbances. There is no spike of panic in GAD, but rather a constant low-level worry.

Gestalt Therapy - Gestalt Therapy refers to a specific school of psychotherapy founded by the Psychiatrist Fredrick Perls.  The approach proceeds from the idea that people are born to be spontaneous and whole in their beings but lose this awareness over time as they interact with others. The result of this loss of wholeness is a perception of the self as split (into mind and body, self and other, thinking and feeling, etc.). The Gestalt therapist works with the client to get back to a more holistic state of being. To do this the therapist frequently bypasses rational thinking processes and makes direct emotional appeals to the client who otherwise would be cut off from those emotions. 

Grandiosity - A symptom of mania; used to describe the larger-than-life feelings of superiority often experienced by those in a manic episode.

Group Dynamics ~ Phenomena that occur in groups based upon their interactions and interrelations. Sometimes referred to as Group Process.

Group Pressure - Demand by group members that individual members submit and conform to group standards, values, and behavior.

Group Process ~ See Group Dynamics.

Group Psychotherapy - Application of psychotherapeutic techniques to a group of patients, using inter-patient interactions to effect changes in the maladaptive behavior of the individual members.

Group Therapy - A form of psychotherapy involving at least two patients and a therapist in which participants are encouraged to analyze their own and each others' problems.

Guardianship - Person appointed by the courts for the care for and manage the property of another, such as a minor or a person incapable of managing his or her own affairs.

Habeas Corpus - Legal term for the right to petition a court to decide whether confinement has been undertaken with due process of law.

Habituation - Whenever a new stimulus is put in front of a person, their natural tendency is to orient towards the stimulus. New things to hear or see capture the person's attention.  After the person becomes accustomed to this stimulus, their attention wanes.  This is called "habituation" within the framework of learning theory. 

Hallucinations - Hallucinations occur when you sense things that are not actually occurring. Hallucinations may be auditory, visual, olfactory, or even tactile.  Hallucinations may be a sign of mental illness, such as schizophrenia, or drug use. 

Hamilton Depression Scale - Scale of depression based upon a clinical interview with the patient in which the examiner asks about guilt, suicide, sleep habits, weight change, and other symptoms of depression.

Histrionic - A term used to describe a personality style in which a person's behavior or speech is overly dramatic or theatrical in quality. 

Hyperactive - Excessively active. 

Hypernatremia ~ High sodium blood level. 

Hyperphagia - Tendency to eat too much. 

Hypersomnia - Extended periods of sleep. 

Hypomania ~ A mild form of mania. Many times this is a precursor to a full manic episode. 

Hyponatremia ~ Low sodium blood level.

Hypnosis - Artificially induced alteration of consciousness characterized by increased suggestibility and receptivity to direction.

Hypnotherapy - Therapy that makes use of hypnosis.

Hypnotic - Drug used for the express purpose of producing sleep.

Ideas of Reference - Ideas of Reference are a symptom of psychosis of the Paranoid Schizophrenic type. An Idea of Reference occurs when someone is watching TV or listening to the radio and they come to believe that there is a special message in the radio directed specifically at themselves. 

Identification with the Aggressor - Victims of abuse may respond in two ways. In the first scenario, the victim learns to see themselves as though through the eyes of the powerful aggressor and comes to believe that they are a deserving victim. In effect, they forget how to see through their own eyes and identify with the aggressor's view. In the second scenario, the victim goes looking for other persons to victimize. It is as if the victim needs to hurt someone else in order to regain their feelings of personal power. 

Identity - The perception of the sense of self.

Immediate Memory - Recall of perceived material within seconds after presentation.

Impressionistic Speech Style - A term used to describe a person's speech when it consistently lacks in detail and emphasizes emotions. For example, if you asked someone what they thought of something, and they said it was "just wonderful", yet could not elaborate upon why they felt this way. 

Impotence ~ An older, lesser used term for Erectile Dysfunction (ED).

Individualized Educational Program (IEP) - In order to ensure that children with disabilities and special needs receive a meaningful educational program, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 1997) was implemented stating that parents have the right to be an integral part in designing an educational plan for their child. An IEP contains specific objectives and goals based upon the student’s current level of educational performance in a variety of areas and details the services that are to be provided for a comprehensive educational program. 

Individual Therapy - Traditional dyadic therapeutic technique in which a psychotherapist treats only one patient during a given therapeutic session.

Insane - Of or pertaining to one who is of unsound mind. A legal rather than a psychiatric term.

Insanity - Legal concept denoting a mental disturbance, due to which a person lacks criminal responsibility for an alleged crime and hence cannot be convicted of the crime.

Insanity Defense ~ A criminal law defense that contends the person lacks criminal responsibility by reason of insanity. Contrary to popular belief, this defense is rarely used. It is used in approximately 1% of criminal cases and even then is only successful in 10% of these cases. To put it another way, of every 1000  cases, 10 will use this defense. Of this 10, 1 will be successful.

Insomnia - Inability to sleep. 

Intensive Outpatient Therapy (IOP) ~ A form of partial psychiatric hospitalization that is more intense than regular outpatient therapy but less intense than 24/7 inpatient hospitalization.  See also Partial Hospital Program.

Involuntary Commitment - To be consigned to a mental institution against one's will.

J - None

Kindling Effect - The 'Kindling Effect' refers to how epileptic seizures are thought to occur. The idea of seizure kindling is that large scale seizures can be triggered by small but repeated stimulation events, just as a large scale fire can grow out of a small ignited pile of wood.

Kleptomania - Pathological compulsion to steal.

Korsakoff’s Psychosis - Organic mental disorder seen in long-term alcoholics. Its major characteristic feature is a profound memory impairment, particularly for recent events, for which the individual attempts to compensate by replacing the lost memory with a fabrication.

Libido - The desire for sexual activity. In psychoanalysis, the psychic energy associated with the life instinct.

Labile - When a person’s feelings or mood fluctuates often.

Licensure - A practice with certain professional groups of legally regulating by state and provincial boards who can be a member of that profession in order to insure that all persons within that profession have met at least minimal certifications and training experiences.

Intensive Outpatient Therapy (LPC) - A type of counseling license that a therapist can apply for. Educational and experiential standards to achieve the LPC license are lower than the requirements for Psychologist or Psychiatrist licensure. Typically held by Masters level professionals. 

Light Therapy - A treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) in which the patient is exposed to periods of bright light to alleviate depression.

Learning Theory - Approach to the understanding of human behavior that emphasizes the way in which learning comes about.

Localized Amnesia - Partial loss of memory; amnesia restricted to specific or isolated experiences.

Major Depression - Major depressive disorder consists of one or more major depressive episodes each of which lasts at least 2 weeks. The most prominent symptoms of major depressive disorder are depressed mood and loss of interest or pleasure. Patients also tend to have other symptoms, but these vary from person-to-person.  Insomnia and weight loss often accompany major depression, but depressed patients may also gain weight and sleep excessively.

Maladaptive - Referring to any mental activity or behavior that is dysfunctional or counterproductive with regard to a person's ability to cope effectively with the problems and stresses of life.

Mania - An excited mood characterized by mental and physical hyperactivity, disorganization of thoughts and behavior. 

Manic Depression ~ An older term for Bipolar Disorder.

Manic-Depressive Illness - Mood disorder characterized by severe alterations in mood that are usually episodic and recurrent.  See also Bipolar Illness.

Manuals (Therapy) - Step by step (session by session) guide books for conducting a particular type of therapy for a particular type of problem.

Masturbation - Self-stimulation of the genitals for sexual pleasure.

M.Div. - The M.Div. degree is a masters level degree offered by Divinity Schools. Holders of this degree have learned counseling approaches and techniques in the context of religious graduate training. 

Melancholia ~ A deep brooding form of depression. 

Mental Hygiene - An outdated term that means the same thing as Mental Health. 

Mental Status - General functional condition of mental and behavioral processes as determined by psychiatric assessment of a variety of areas of functioning, such as state of consciousness, mood and affect, thinking and speech, motor behavior, general knowledge, memory, calculation, judgment, abstraction, and insight.

MFCC ~ Acronym used by persons with masters level specialty training in Marriage and Family Counseling. This form of training specializes in the Family Systems approach to counseling.

Mixed States - An episode in which symptoms of both mania and depression are present.

Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor - A class of drugs which affect the work of the monoamine oxidase enzymes and thus produce an antidepressant effect. Monoamine Oxidase enzymes include epinephrine, norepinephrine and serotonin. 

Mood - The patient's subjective experience of how they are feeling emotionally. Distinguished from affect, the external expression of emotional feeling which is observed by others.

Mood Congruent - Feelings are consistent with circumstances; for example, a person feels sad when someone dies.

Mood Disorder - The term Mood Disorder (also known as Affective Disorder) refers to the family of depressive disorders, including Major Depression, Bipolar Affective Disorder (manic depression) and related diagnoses.

Mood Incongruent - Feelings are not consistent with circumstances; for example, a person feels sad for no reason.

Munchausen's Syndrome (and Munchausen's By Proxy) - Munchausen's Syndrome is the popular name for what the DSM-IV calls Factitious Disorder. Factitious Disorder is characterized by a person intentionally harming or making themselves ill in order to gain attention and care.  In Factitious Disorder By Proxy, a person intentionally harms another person, also presumably to gain access to the sick role and the attention that sickness brings.  A new twist on this disorder is the person who enters Internet chat rooms and forums and pretends to be ill in order to gain sympathy and attention. 

Myasthenia - Muscle weakness.

Narcissistic Personality - According to the DSM-IV, the narcissistic personality exhibits, "...a pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:     

1.  has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements) 

2.  is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love 

3.  believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions) 

4.  requires excessive admiration 

5.  has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations 

6.  is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends 

7.  lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others 

8.  is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her 

9.  shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes   

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) - Self-help group and influential national advocacy network comprised of and supported by the family members and parents of schizophrenic patients.

National Depressive Manic-Depressive Association - "A not-for-profit organization established to: Educate patients, families, mental health professionals, and the general public concerning the nature and management of depressive and manic-depressive illness as treatable medical diseases; Foster self-help for patients and families; Eliminate discrimination and stigma; Improve access to care; Advocate for research toward the elimination of these illnesses." 

National Institutes of Health - One of the world's foremost biomedical research centers, and the Federal focal point for biomedical research in the U.S.

National Mental Health Association - Voluntary citizen’s organization, founded in 1909 as the National Committee on Mental Hygiene, to promote mental health.

Negative Psychotic Symptoms - Symptoms that are absent, as opposed to those which are present.  Negative symptoms occur less than normal.  Positive symptoms occur more than normal.  An example of negative psychotic symptoms would be catatonia (holding a rigid position for a long period of time) and flat effect (showing no emotion).  See also Positive Psychotic Symptoms.

Nervous Breakdown ~ A term used to generally describe when a person becomes overwhelmed by anxiety and/or depression. This is not an official clinical diagnosis

Neuroleptic - The term Neuroleptic refers to a class of psychiatric medicines that are used to treat psychosis and a variety of other conditions. 

Neurologic Disorders - Disorders involving the organization and function of nervous tissue, including diseases of the peripheral nerves, the spinal cord, and the brain, which are based on organic pathology.

Neurologist - Physician who specializes in diseases of the nervous system.

Neuropsychology - Neuropsychology is a joint field of clinical psychology and neuroscience. Neuropsychologists study the relationships between the brain and behavior. Many of them are experts in psychological testing, particularly in intellectual and cognitive tests of intelligence, memory and attention. 

Neurosis - Mental or psychiatric disorder characterized primarily by anxiety.  Although neuroses are not accompanied by gross distortion of reality or severe personality disorganization, normal functioning is impaired by the person's symptoms; they have no organic basis, are relatively persistent, and are treatable.

Neurotic - Freud distinguished two levels of mental illness severity: Neurosis and Psychosis. In Neurosis, a person has many internal psychological conflicts and shows mild to moderate impairments in their ability to function properly in their day-to-day life. Neurotics, however, maintain contact with shared social reality, in contrast to psychotics, who have lost touch with reality. 

Neurotransmitters - Neurotransmitters is the name given to a group of chemicals in the brain that facilitate communication between the cells of the brain called neurons. The neurons do not touch each other.   At the end of one neuron and the beginning of another is a space called a synapse. When a message gets to the end of the first neuron, it triggers the release of neurotransmitter chemicals into the synapse. These neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and touch the beginning part of the next neuron in the chain, triggering this next neuron to continue the message on down the chain of cells. Psychiatric drugs act on the brain at the level of the neurotransmitters. The presence of a given drug in the brain changes how many neurotransmitters are available to make the journey from one neuron to the next. By changing the levels of a drug in your brain, your doctor can make adjustments to how well different kinds of messages get transmitted through your brain - with the effect of changing how you feel and think.  Examples of neurotransmitters that affect mood are Serotonin, Dopamine and Noradrenaline. 

NOS ~ "Not Otherwise Specified". Used as a broad diagnostic category, for example "Depression NOS". Not enough information is available at the time of diagnosis to more specifically classify the disorder.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) - Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a disorder characterized by the presence of obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are repetitive, unwanted thoughts. There is a sense of urgency and tension that rises until the person feels compelled to act on the obsessive thought. An action based on an obsessive thought is called a compulsion.  Compulsions range from mild checking behavior (is the stove off?) to severe cases where the person is unable to function based on their compulsions having taken over their life.

Organic Disorders - The term "Organic" as used in medicine and mental health refers to disorders that are based in physical or neurological (usually brain) injury or damage.

Organic Mood Syndrome - Disorder characterized by either a depressive or a manic mood attributed to a clearly defined organic factor.

Orgasm - Sexual climax, the peak psycho physiological reaction to sexual stimulation.

Orgasmic Dysfunction - Failure to achieve orgasm through physical stimulation.

Orientation - State of awareness of oneself and one’s surroundings in terms of time, place, and person.

Orthopsychiatry - Interdisciplinary approach to the study and practice of maintaining or restoring mental health, involving principles derived from psychiatry, psychology, sociology, social work, medicine, and other fields.  Particular emphasis is placed on preventive techniques to promote healthy emotional development.

Pain-Pleasure Principle - Psychoanalytic concept which states that a person tends to seek pleasure and avoid pain.

Panic - Acute, intense attack of anxiety associated with personality disorganization; the anxiety is overwhelming and accompanied by feelings of impending doom.

Panic Attack - Episode of acute intense anxiety occurring in panic disorder, schizophrenia, major depression, and somatization disorder.

Panic Disorder - Classification of anxiety disorder characterized by attacks of acute intense anxiety, with or without agoraphobia.

Paranoia - A psychosis characterized by a system of delusions with often include the belief of persecution or grandeur without hallucinations. 

Paranoid - Describing an individual affected with paranoia and presents such personality traits as extreme sensitivity to rejection, suspiciousness, hostility and self-importance.

Paresthesia ~ Tingling skin sensation. 

Parkinsonian - Symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease such as tremors, rigid muscles, difficulty moving and unresponsive expression.

Partial Hospital Program - Partial Hospital Programs (PHPs) are very much like Intensive Outpatient Therapy Programs (IOPs), except they last longer (usually all day as opposed to IOPs that last for several hours).  See also Intensive Outpatient Therapy. 

Passive-Aggressive Behavior - Passive aggressive behavior can occur when someone is angry at another person, but is restrained for some reason from openly expressing that anger.  The anger is expressed in some hidden way, such as sabotaging the other person's work.

Pastoral Counselor - A Pastoral Counselor is a clergy person who counsels people. There are academic and theological programs for this, some of which terminate in the M.Div. degree, but not all Pastoral Counselors have been to these programs. 

Personality Disorder - Most people have a fairly flexible personality that allows them to adapt to a variety of circumstances, people and events. Persons with Personality Disorders instead, get stuck in fairly rigid ways of relating to people and events. It may affect how they think about themselves and the world around them, how they experience emotion, how they function socially, and how well they can control their impulses. There are ten recognized personality disorders, typically arranged into three clusters.   

Cluster "A" - Paranoid, Schizoid, and Schizotypal Personality Disorders. 

Cluster "B" - Antisocial, Histrionic, Narcissistic and Borderline Personality disorders.

Cluster "C" - Avoidant, Dependent and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorders. 

It is possible for people to have traits or symptoms of more than one personality disorder at the same time, while not meeting criteria for any one of them. In this case of "mixed personality disorder" the diagnosis of Personality Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (NOS) is made, and the traits are listed out. 

Petechia - Tiny red spots on the skin.

Ph.D. - Ph.D. stands for "Doctor of Philosophy". This is a doctoral level degree generally requiring extended graduate level university training (4-6 years after completing regular college BA/BS programs). Clinical Psychologists will often have this degree, although the Ph.D. can be issued in many different fields and is not limited to psychology. 

Phobic Disorder ~ Disorder characterized by a specific, often irrational, fear.

Phototoxicity - Sensitivity to the sun.

Polydipsia - Excessive thirst. 

Polyuria - Frequent urination.

Positive Psychotic Symptoms - Symptoms that are present, as opposed to those which are absent.  Positive symptoms are present more than normal.  Negative symptoms are less than normal.  An example of positive psychotic symptoms would be hallucination and delusions, which you would not expect in a normal person.  See also Negative Psychotic Symptoms.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - PTSD is an anxiety disorder that occurs in the aftermath of a traumatic event.  Examples are combat, rape and natural disasters. PTSD is diagnosed six months after the traumatic event.  There are three major types of PTSD symptoms. First, the traumatized person generally develops a heightened startle response and easy arousability and irritability. This change in mood and startle is relatively permanent and biological in nature, as if the traumatized person's nervous system has been 'reset'. Second, they are vulnerable to having memories of the trauma come flooding back into their minds at unexpected moments (flashbacks).  Third, they will go to great lengths to avoid thinking about the trauma. These avoidance measures vary from not going near anything that reminds them of the trauma to dissociation.  

Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) ~ A medical insurance plan where members receive greater coverage, reduced fees, or both, by using health care providers approved by the plan.

Pressured speech - Rapid, sometimes incoherent talk; a symptom of mania. 

Priapism - Persistent, painful erection.  May be a side-effect of certain drugs, such as trazodone.

Prodromal - The period of time before an outbreak of a serious condition during which subtle symptoms are present.  

Projection - Projection is a type of defense mechanism.  In projection, a person experiences an emotion or thought that they aren't able to cope with. So, instead, they perceive the thought or feeling as if it had come from someone else.  One example of this mechanism is the person who is angry at a friend, but does not feel comfortable with feelings of anger in himself.  He may instead deny these feelings and imagine that his friend is the angry one. 

Psy.D. - Psy.D. stands for "Doctor of Psychology". This is a doctoral level degree generally requiring extended graduate level university training (3-4 years after completing regular college BA/BS programs). Some Clinical Psychologists have this degree. Programs granting Psy.D. degrees are generally clinically rather than academically focused. 

Psyche - Mind, as divided into conscious, preconscious, and unconscious in Sigmund Freud’s topographic model.

Psychiatric Emergency - Disturbance in thoughts, feelings, or actions for which immediate treatment is necessary; e.g., suicide intent.

Psychiatrist - Medical doctor whose specialty is the study and treatment of mental disorders. After receiving the M.D. degree, a physician spends 4 years as a resident in a hospital setting. When he or she passes the written and oral examinations of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, he or she becomes a diplomate in psychiatry and is said to be Board certified.

Psychiatry - Branch of medicine concerned with the prevention, cause, and treatment of mental disorders.

Psychic Energizer - Rarely used term for any antidepressant or stimulant drug.

Psychic Trauma - Psychologically upsetting event that may have lasting consequences on a person’s thinking, feeling, or behavior.

Psychologist - A Psychologist is an individual who has completed a doctoral level degree (about 5 years of graduate school resulting in the Ph.D, or Psy.D. degrees) in the science of Psychology.  Some psychologists are scientist-researchers, some are therapists, some become administrators, etc. Those that specialize in therapy are called Clinical Psychologists.  Only persons who are licensed as psychologists can call themselves psychologists. 

Psychology - Study and profession concerned with mental processes and behavior.

Psychometry - Science of testing and measuring mental and psychological functioning.

Psychomotor - Relating to combined physical and mental activity.

Psychomotor Agitation - Physical and mental over activity associated with a feeling of inner turmoil, as seen in agitated depression.

Psychopathology ~ The study of mental illness.

Psychopharmacologist - A psychiatrist who specializes in the study of the effect of drugs on the mind and behavior.

Psychopharmacology - The study of the effect of drugs on the mind and behavior.

Psychosis - Psychosis refers to a state of being completely out of touch with reality. Psychosis is generally a state (a temporary condition) rather than a trait (permanent condition).  Many medications (called neuroleptics or anti-psychotics) are available to help psychotic persons regain their comprehension of reality. Psychosis is frequently associated with the family of disorders known as Schizophrenia.

Psychosurgery - Neurosurgical intervention to treat a mental disorder that involves destruction or ablation of brain tissue.

Psychotherapist - Person trained to treat mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders.  See also Therapist.

Psychotherapeutic Drug - Drug used to alter abnormal thinking, feelings, or behavior; traditionally divided into classes of antipsychotic, antidepressant, anti-manic, and anti-anxiety (anxiolytic) drugs.

Punishment - Punishment is a term from Psychological Learning Theory that has a precise meaning; it refers to something that causes a behavior to lessen in intensity. There is nothing that is intrinsically punishing. A thing is called punishing if, when it is applied, it results in the reduction of behavior that you want to reduce.

Quadrangular Therapy - Marital therapy that involves four people, the married pair and each spouse's therapist.

Racing Thoughts - A symptom of mania in which the individual experiences swiftly changing and uncontrollable ideas. 

Rapid Cycling - A serious condition in the cycles of Bipolar Disorder in which the individual quickly alters between symptoms of depression and mania sometimes within minutes.

Rationalization - n unconscious defense mechanism in which irrational or unacceptable behavior, motives, or feelings are logically justified or made consciously tolerable by plausible means.

Reaction Formation - Unconscious defense mechanism in which a person develops a socialized attitude or interest that is the direct antithesis of some infantile wish or impulse that is harbored either consciously or unconsciously. One of the earliest and most unstable defense mechanisms, closely related to repression; both are defenses against impulses or urges that are unacceptable to the ego.

Reality Therapy - A method of therapy developed by the psychiatrist, William Glasser, MD in the 1960’s. The main point of this therapeutic approach is that people can choose behaviors that will help them to better meet their needs in the future. Reality therapy focuses on the responsibility of the patient to develop their own effective strategies for handling life’s problems and to make better choices in their lives.  Dr. Glasser’s therapy is built upon what he calls Choice Theory. Choice theory basically states that our choices are made from internal factors or basic needs that we all possess and that the only behavior we can control is our own.

Retardation - Reduction of slowing down of mental and physical activity, as often observed in depression.

Reward - Reward is a term from Psychological Learning Theory that has a precise meaning.  It refers to something that causes a behavior to increase in intensity. There is nothing that is intrinsically rewarding. A thing is called rewarding if, when it is applied, it results in the intensification of behavior.

Role Playing - Psychodrama technique in which persons are trained to function more effectively in their real-life roles. In the therapeutic setting of psychodrama, the patient is free to try and to fail in their roles, and try again until they succeed.  New approaches to feared situations can thus be learned and applied outside the therapeutic setting.

Schizoaffective Disorder - Schizoaffective Disorder is diagnosed when symptoms of schizophrenia (hallucinations, delusions, catatonia, disorganized speech, flattening of facial affect, etc.) co-occur (happen at the same time) with all necessary symptoms of a manic, depressive or mixed episode sufficient for the diagnosis of Bipolar or Major Depression. It must also be documented that the psychotic symptoms continue in the absence of the mood symptoms for a period of at least two weeks.

Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling mental disorder that affects approximately 1 percent of the population at some point in their lifetime. The disorder often develops earlier in men, usually in the late teens or early twenties, while women typically develop the disorder in their twenties and early thirties. People with schizophrenia often experience hallucinations (usually hearing voices) or delusions (believing that other people are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting against them).

School Phobia - Young child’s sudden fear of and refusal to attend school, usually considered a manifestation of separation anxiety but also may be a symptom of depression.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) - Mood disorder subtype characterized by depression, psychomotor slowing, hypersomnia, and hyperphagia that develops in autumn or winter and improves in spring and summer.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) ~ Class of drugs which work by inhibiting the movement of Serotonin into nerve endings within the brain, thus forcing the Serotonin to remain actively working. 

Self-Concept - The self-concept is the collection of ideas you have about who you are. 

Self-Medicate - The use of any drug, whether conscious or otherwise, to make oneself feel better.  This can include alcohol, nicotine and caffeine; street drugs; or prescription drugs if they are being used as intended.

Separation Anxiety - Reaction expressed in a child who is isolated or separated from the mother, such as tearfulness, irritability.

Separation Anxiety Disorder - An anxiety disorder characterized by an infant’s or child’s fear and apprehension on being removed from the parent or parent figure.

Separation-Individuation - The phase during which the child perceives itself as distinct from the mother, becomes more independent and aware of its physical and psychological autonomy and can endure separation from the mother.

Serious and Persistent Mental Illness - A fairly loose term used to refer to any serious and persistent mental illness. Included normally would be Schizophrenia, Bipolar Affective Disorder, recurrent Major Depression, etc.  There is no specific list of what this term includes.

Side-Effect - Any condition caused by a drug other than the effect for which it was prescribed.

Sleep Terror Disorder - Sleep disorder in which there are repeated episodes of abrupt awakenings from sleep, characterized by verbalizations, confusion, autonomic activity, and poor recall of the dream. Also called night terror.

Social Anxiety Disorder ~ An extreme constant fear of social or public situations that severely disrupts day-to-day functioning. Other symptoms may include: intense self-consciousness in social situations, unreasonable fear of embarrassment, physical symptoms such as rapid heart beat, sweating, trembling and blushing.

Social Phobia - Any of a variety of phobic disorders characterized by a fear of being observed by others.  Fears of public speaking, blushing, eating in public, using public lavatories are all examples of social phobia.  Often referred to as "shyness".

Social Psychiatry - Branch of psychiatry concerned with ecological, sociological, and cultural variables that engender, intensify, or complicate maladaptive patterns of behavior and their treatment.

Sociopath - The term "sociopath" refers to people who are antisocial and who commits antisocial or criminal acts without any sense of guilt. In this context, the term "anti-social" refers to criminal or deviant actions that harm other people rather than people who are loners. 

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) - A U.S. federal program in which individuals with qualifying disabilities can receive supplemental income as well as medical treatment. 

Somnolence - A state of drowsiness, sleepiness.

Splitting - There are some individuals who see the world in absolute terms; everything is black or white, with no gray areas.  The term splitting is often used to describe how such a black and white thinking adult will characterize others. For instance, a person who uses splitting as a defense mechanism may view one person as being "a saint", and another as "pure evil". They are unable to see that there are good and bad qualities in every person. 

Stress Reaction - Disturbed psychologic or physiologic functioning encountered when strong, involuntary, often unconscious internal impulses press for action that conflicts with one’s conscious, reality-oriented behavior.

Suicidal Ideation - Having fantasies about taking one's own life. 

Suicide - Taking one's own life.

Sympathy - Compassion for or sharing of another person’s feelings, ideas, and experiences.

Taboo - Restrictions or prohibitions on behavior imposed by a culture, usually involving a dangerous, forbidden, or unclean entity.

Tachycardia - Rapid heartbeat. 

Tardive Dyskinesia - A central nervous system disorder characterized by involuntary movement and twitching of the face muscles; a serious side effect of prolonged use of antipsychotic drugs. 

Teratogen - A substance with causes birth defects.

Theory - Plausible or scientifically acceptable general principle or body of principles offered to explain phenomena.

Therapist - Generally short for "Psychotherapist".  A person who professes to be able to help person who are suffering with problems amenable to psychological treatments. This is a generic term and does not imply any specific credentials or educational background.

Therapeutic Alliance - Conscious contractual relationship between therapist and patient in which each implicitly agrees that they need to work together to help the patient with his or her problems.

Timidity - Being timid; having the quality of being hesitant. 

Tinnitus - Ringing in the ears.

Tolerance - Tolerance has two meanings. In addictions, tolerance is used to describe the phenomenon that occurs when someone starts needing more and more of a drug in order to get the same high. In a different context, tolerance refers to how well a person can accept things that are different or stressful. 

Tranquilizer - Any drug or substance that calms a person.

Transference - Transference is a term derived from psychoanalytic psychology. The term refers to a "transfer" of emotions that frequently occurs in a psychotherapeutic relationship. Emotions you learned in earlier relationships may color how you experience new relationships. For example, you come to fear your male psychotherapist because you've transferred your fear of your father onto him. You may fear your psychotherapist in spite of the fact that he has not really done anything to merit this fear.   See also Counter-Transference. 

Trauma - A trauma occurs when a person is exposed to an event that threatens their physical or psychological safety. Persons who have been traumatized are at increased risk of developing trauma related psychiatric/psychological disorders which include Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), dissociative disorders (amnesia, psychogenic fugue) and possibly, Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder).

Tricyclic Antidepressant - Older antidepressants which inhibit reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine. In addition, they interfere with the metabolism of other compounds in the central nervous system, the amines.

Trichotillomania ~ Irresistible urge to tear or pluck out the hair on one's head and face, and often to ingest it.

Unconscious - 1. One of three divisions of Sigmund Freud’s topographic theory of the mind (the others being the conscious and preconscious) in which the psychic material is not readily accessible to conscious awareness by ordinary means.  2. In popular usage, any mental material not in the immediate field of awareness. 3.  Denoting a state of unawareness, with lack of response to external stimuli, as in a coma.

Undersocialized - Characterized by the absence of adequate social bonds to others, as a type of conduct disorder.

Unipolar Disorder ~ Recurrent major depression without mania.

Vaginismus - Painful vaginal spasm, usually psychogenic, that occurs during coitus, making penile insertion impossible.

Vertigo - Sensation that one or the world around one is spinning or revolving; a hallmark symptom of vestibular dysfunction, not to be confused with dizziness.

Voluntary Commitment - Submitting oneself by personal choice to hospitalization.

Withdrawal - Pathological retreat from interpersonal contact and social involvement; extreme decrease of intellectual and emotional interest in the environment. It may be seen in schizophrenia and depression.

Withdrawal Syndrome - A constellation of signs and symptoms that appears when a person stops taking a drug or chemical substance on which he or she has become physically dependent.

World Health Organization (WHO) - Specialized agency of the United Nations, established in 1948, governed by the World Health Assembly. Technical committees and regional organizations further the purpose of the WHO:  “the attainment by all people of the highest level of health.”  It publishes the International Classification of Diseases (ICD).

World Psychiatric Association (WPA) - International association, encompassing psychiatric associations from 75 countries throughout the world, whose objectives are to strengthen and promote international cooperation in psychiatry and among psychiatrists working in different fields and to encourage the exchange of information concerning psychiatric disorders.

X - None

Yohimbine - Drug that blocks adrenergic x-receptors.  Because of its parasympathetic effect that causes vasodilatation, it has been used as an agent to help induce penile erection.

Z - None

13

Triskadekaphobia

Accidents

Dystychiphobia

Abuse, sexual

Agraphobia or Contreltophobia

Accidents

Dystychiphobia

Air

Anemophobia

Air swallowing

Aerophobia

Airborne noxious substances

Aerophobia

Airsickness

Aeronausiphobia

Alcohol

Methyphobia or Potophobia

Alone, being

Autophobia or Monophobia

Alone, being alone or solitude

Isolophobia

Amnesia

Amnesiphobia

Anger

Angrophobia or Cholerophobia

Angina

Anginophobia

Animals

Zoophobia

Animals, skins of or fur

Doraphobia

Animals, wild

Agrizoophobia

Ants

Myrmecophobia

Anything new

Neophobia

Asymmetrical things

Asymmetriphobia

Atomic explosions

Atomosophobia

Automobile, being in a moving one

Ochophobia

Automobiles

Motorphobia

B

Octophobia

Bacteria

Bacteriophobia

Bald or balding people

Peladophobia

Bald, becoming

Phalacrophobia

Bathing

Ablutophobia

Beards

Pogonophobia

Beaten by an instrument of punishment, or of being severely criticized

Rhabdophobia

Beautiful women

Caligynephobia

Beds or going to bed

Clinophobia

Bees

Apiphobia or Melissophobia

Beggars or bums

Hobophobia

Being alone

Autophobia or Monophobia

Being alone or solitude

Isolophobia

Bicycles

Cyclophobia

Birds

Ornithophobia

Black

Melanophobia

Blindness in the visual field

Scotomaphobia

Blood

Hemophobia or Hemaphobia or Hematophobia

Blushing or the color red

Erythrophobia or Erytophobia or Ereuthophobia

Body image, unhappy with

Dysamorphophobia

Body odors

Osmophobia or Osphresiophobia

Body, things toward the left side

Levophobia

Body, things toward the right side

Dextrophobia

Bogeyman (or bogies)

Bogyphobia

Bolsheviks

Bolshephobia

Books

Bibliophobia

Bound or tied

Merinthophobia

Bowel movements, painful

Defecaloesiophobia

Brain disease

Meningitophobia

Bridges or crossing them

Gephyrophobia

Buildings, being close to tall buildings

Batophobia

Bullets

Ballistophobia

Bulls

Taurophobia

Bums or beggars

Hobophobia

Burglars, being harmed by bad or wicked people

Scelerophobia

Buried alive (being buried alive)

Taphephobia or Taphophobia

Cancer

Cancerophobia or Carcinophobia

Car or vehicle (riding in)

Amaxophobia

Cats

Aclurophobia or Ailurophobia or Elurophobia or Felinophobia or Galeophobia or Gatophobia

Celestial spaces

Astrophobia

Cemeteries

Coimetrophobia

Changes

Metathesiophobia or Tropophobia

Chickens

Alektorophobia

Child, bearing a deformed child or of deformed people

Teratophobia

Childbirth

Lockiophobia or Maleusiophobia or Parturiphobia or Tocophobia

Children

Pedophobia

Chinese or Chinese culture

Sinophobia

Chins

Geniophobia

Choking or smothering

Pnigophobia or Pnigerophobia

Choking

Anginophobia

Cholera

Chorophobia

Church

Ecclesiophobia

Clocks

Chronomentrophobia

Clocks or time

Chronophobia

Clothing

Vestiphobia

Clouds

Nephophobia

Clowns

Coulrophobia

Coitus

Coitophobia

Cold or cold things

Frigophobia

Cold, extreme, ice or frost

Cryophobia

Cold only

Cheimaphobia or Cheimatophobia or Psychrophobia or Psychropophobia

Color purple

Porphyrophobia

Color red or blushing

Erythrophobia or Erytophobia or Ereuthophobia

Color white

Leukophobia

Color yellow

Xanthophobia

Colors

Chromophobia or Chromatophobia

Comets

Cometophobia

Computers or working on computers

Cyberphobia

Confined spaces

Claustrophobia

Constipation

Coprastasophobia

Contamination, dirt or infection

Molysmophobia or Molysomophobia 

Contamination with dirt or germs

Misophobia or Mysophobia

Cooking

Mageirocophobia

Corpses

Necrophobia

Cosmic Phenomenon

Kosmikophobia

Creepy crawly things

Herpetophobia

Criticism (severe), or beaten by an instrument of punishment

Rhabdophobia

Criticism

Enissophobia

Crosses or the crucifix

Staurophobia

Crossing streets

Agyrophobia or Dromophobia

Crowded public places

Agoraphobia

Crowds or mobs

Enochlophobia or Demophobia or Ochlophobia

Crucifix or crosses

Staurophobia

Crystals or glass

Crystallophobia

Dampness, moisture or liquids

Hygrophobia

Dancing

Chorophobia

Dark or night

Nyctophobia

Dark place, being in one

Lygophobia

Darkness

Achluophobia or Myctophobia or Scotophobia

Dawn or daylight

Eosophobia

Daylight or sunshine

Phengophobia

Death or dying

Thanatophobia

Death or dead things

Necrophobia

Decaying matter

Seplophobia

Decisions or making decisions

Decidophobia

Defeat

Kakorrhaphiophobia

Deformed people, children, or bearing a deformed child

Teratophobia

Deformity or unattractive body image

Dysamorphophobia

Demons

Demonophobia or Daemonophobia

Dental surgery

Odontophobia

Dentists

Dentophobia

Dependence on others

Soteriophobia

Depth

Bathophobia

Diabetes

Diabetophobia

Dining, dinner conversation

Deipnophobia

Dirt, contamination or infection

Molysmophobia or Molysomophobia 

Dirt or germs, being contaminated

Misophobia or Mysophobia

Dirt or filth

Rhypophobia or Rupophobia

Dirty, being dirty or filthy

Automysophobia

Disease

Nosophobia or Nosemaphobia or Pathophobia

Disease and suffering

Panthophobia

Disease, definite

Monopathophobia

Disease, brain

Meningitophobia

Disease, kidney

Albuminurophobia

Disease, rectal

Rectophobia

Disorder or untidiness

Ataxophobia

Dizziness or vertigo when looking down

Illyngophobia

Dizziness or whirlpools

Dinophobia

Doctor, going to see

Iatrophobia

Doctrine, challenges to or radical deviation from official

Heresyphobia or Hereiophobia

Dogs or rabies

Cynophobia

Dolls

Pediophobia

Double vision

Diplophobia

Drafts

Aerophobia or Anemophobia

Dreams, wet

Oneirogmophobia

Dreams

Oneirophobia

Drinking

Dipsophobia

Drugs, new

Neopharmaphobia

Drugs or taking medicine

Pharmacophobia

Dryness

Xerophobia

Dust

Amathophobia or Koniophobia

Duty or responsibility, neglecting

Paralipophobia

Dying or death

Thanatophobia

Eating or swallowing

Phagophobia

Eating or food

Sitophobia or Sitiophobia

Eating, swallowing, of being eaten

Phagophobia

Eight, the number

Octophobia

Electricity

Electrophobia

English, British

Anglophobia

Erect penis

Ithyphallophobia or Medorthophobia

Erection, losing an

Medomalacuphobia

Everything

Panophobia or Panphobia or Pamphobia or Pantophobia

Extreme cold

Cryophobia

Eyes

Ommetaphobia or Ommatophobia

Eyes, opening one's

Optophobia

Fabrics, certain ones

Textophobia

Failure

Atychiphobia or Kakorrhaphiophobia

Fainting

Asthenophobia

Fatigue

Kopophobia

Feeling pleasure

Hedonophobia

Fearful situations

Counterphobia

Feathers, being tickled by feathers

Pteronophobia

Fecal matter, feces

Coprophobia or Scatophobia

Female genitals

Kolpophobia

Female genitalia

Eurotophobia

Fever

Febriphobia or Fibriphobia or Fidriophobia or Pyrexiophobia

Filth or dirt

Rhypophobia or Rupophobia

Fire

Arsonphobia or Pyrophobia

Firearms

Hoplophobia

Fish

Ichthyophobia

Flashes

Selaphobia

Flogging or punishment

Mastigophobia

Floods

Antlophobia

Flowers

Anthrophobia or Anthophobia

Flutes

Aulophobia

Flying

Aviophobia or Aviatophobia or Pteromerhanophobia

Fog

Homichlophobia or Nebulaphobia

Food or eating

Sitophobia or Sitiophobia

Food

Cibophobia

Foreigners or strangers

Xenophobia

Foreign languages

Xenoglossophobia

Forests

Xylophobia or Hylophobia

Forests at night

Nyctohylophobia

Forests, dark wooded areas

Nyctohylophobia

Forgetting or being forgotten

Athazagoraphobia

France

Francophobia or Gallophobia or Galiphobia

Freedom

Eleutherophobia

French culture

Francophobia or Gallophobia or Galiphobia

Friday the 13th

Paraskavedekatriaphobia

Frogs

Batrachophobia

Frost

Cryophobia

Frost or ice

Pagophobia

Functioning

Ergasiophobia

Fur or skins of animals

Doraphobia

Gaiety

Cherophobia

Garlic

Alliumphobia

Genitals, particularly female

Kolpophobia

Genitalia, female

Eurotophobia

Germans or German culture

Germanophobia or Teutophobia

Germs or dirt, being contaminated with

Misophobia or Mysophobia

Germs

Verminophobia

Ghosts or specters

Spectrophobia

Ghosts

Phasmophobia

Girls, young or virgins

Parthenophobia

Glass or crystals

Crystallophobia

Glass

Hyelophobia or Hyalophobia or Nelophobia

Gloomy place, being in

Lygophobia

God or gods

Zeusophobia

Gods or religion

Theophobia

Going to bed or beds

Clinophobia

Gold

Aurophobia

Good news, hearing good news

Euphobia

Gravity

Barophobia

Greek or Greek culture

Hellophobia

Greek terms

Hellenologophobia

Hair

Chaetophobia or Hypertrichophobia or Trichopathophobia or Trichophobia

Halloween

Samhainophobia

Hands

Chirophobia

Handwriting

Graphophobia

Harmed by wicked persons, bad men or burglars

Scelerophobia

Heart

Cardiophobia

Heat

Thermophobia

Heaven

Ouranophobia or Uranophobia

Heights

Acrophobia or Altophobia or Batophobia or Hypsiphobia or Hyposophobia

Hell

Hadephobia or Stigiophobia or Stygiophobia

Heredity

Patroiophobia

Holy things

Hagiophobia

Home

Ecophobia

Home surroundings or a house

Oikophobia

Home, returning to

Nostophobia

Home surroundings

Eicophobia

Homosexuality or of becoming homosexual

Homophobia

Horses

Equinophobia or Hippophobia

Hospitals

Nosocomephobia

House or home surroundings

Oikophobia

Houses or being in a house

Domatophobia

Hurricanes and tornadoes

Lilapsophobia

Hypnotized, being or of sleep

Hypnophobia

Ice or frost

Pagophobia

Ice, frost or extreme cold

Cryophobia

Ideas

Ideophobia

Ignored, being

Athazagoraphobia

Imperfection

Atelophobia

Inability to stand

Basiphobia or Basophobia

Infection, contamination or dirt

Molysmophobia or Molysomophobia

Infinity

Apeirophobia

Injections

Trypanophobia

Injury

Traumatophobia

Insanity, dealing with

Lyssophobia

Insanity

Dementophobia or Maniaphobia

Insects

Acarophobia or Entomophobia or Insectophobia

Insects that eat wood

Isopterophobia

Insects that cause itching

Acarophobia

Itching

Acarophobia

Japanese or Japanese culture

Japanophobia

Jealousy

Zelophobia

Jews

Judeophobia

Joint immobility

Ankylophobia

Jumping from high and low places

Catapedaphobia

Justice

Dikephobia

Kidney disease

Albuminurophobia

Kissing

Philemaphobia or Philematophobia

Knees

Genuphobia

Knowledge

Epistemophobia or Gnosiophobia

Lakes

Limnophobia

Large things

Megalophobia

Laughter

Geliophobia

Lawsuits

Liticaphobia

Learning

Sophophobia

Left-handed, objects at the left side of the body

Sinistrophobia

Leprosy

Leprophobia or Lepraphobia

Lice

Pediculophobia or Phthiriophobia

Light

Photophobia

Light flashes

Selaphobia

Lightning and thunder

Brontophobia or Karaunophobia

Lights, glaring

Photoaugliaphobia

Liquids, dampness or moisture

Hygrophobia

Locked in an enclosed place

Cleithrophobia or Cleisiophobia or Clithrophobia

Lockjaw or tetanus

Tetanophobia

Loneliness or of being by oneself

Eremophobia or Eremiphobia

Looking up

Anablephobia or Anablepophobia

Loud noises

Ligyrophobia

Love, sexual love

Erotophobia

Love play

Malaxophobia or Sarmassophobia

Love, falling or being in

Philophobia

Machines

Mechanophobia

Mad, becoming

Lyssophobia

Many things

Polyphobia

Marriage

Gamophobia

Materialism

Hylephobia

Matter, decaying

Seplophobia

Meat

Carnophobia

Medicine, taking, or drugs

Pharmacophobia

Medicines, mercurial

Hydrargyophobia

Medicine, prescribing by a doctor

Opiophobia

Memories

Mnemophobia

Men, bad or burglars or being harmed by wicked persons

Scelerophobia

Men

Androphobia or Arrhenphobia or Hominophobia

Menstruation

Menophobia

Mercurial medicines

Hydrargyophobia

Metal

Metallophobia

Meteors

Meteorophobia

Mice

Musophobia or Murophobia or Suriphobia

Microbes

Bacillophobia or Microbiophobia

Mind

Psychophobia

Mirrors or seeing oneself in a mirror

Eisoptrophobia

Mirrors

Catoptrophobia

Missiles

Ballistophobia

Mobs or crowds

Demophobia or Enochlophobia or Ochlophobia

Moisture, dampness or liquids

Hygrophobia

Money

Chrometophobia or Chrematophobia

Moon

Selenophobia

Mother-in-law

Pentheraphobia

Moths

Mottephobia

Motion or movement

Kinetophobia or Kinesophobia

Moving or making changes

Tropophobia

Moving automobile or vehicle, being in

Ochophobia

Muscular uncoordination (Ataxia)

Ataxiophobia

Mushrooms

Mycophobia

Music

Melophobia

Myths, stories or false statements

Mythophobia

Names or hearing a certain name

Onomatophobia

Names

Nomatophobia

Narrow things or places

Stenophobia

Narrowness

Anginophobia

Needles

Aichmophobia or Blenophobia

New, anything or novel

Cenophobia or Centophobia or Kainophobia or Kainolophobia or Neophobia

Newness

Cainophobia or Cenophobia or Centophobia or Cainotophobia

News: hearing good news

Euphobia

Night or dark

Nyctophobia

Night

Noctiphobia

Noise

Acousticophobia

Noises, loud

Ligyrophobia

Noises or voices, speaking aloud, or telephones

Phonophobia

Northern lights

Auroraphobia

Nosebleeds

Epistaxiophobia

Novelty or anything new

Kainophobia or Kainolophobia

Novelty

Cainophobia or Cainotophobia

Nuclear weapons

Nucleomituphobia

Nudity

Gymnophobia or Nudophobia

Numbers

Arithmophobia or Numerophobia

Objects, small

Tapinophobia

Ocean or sea

Thalassophobia

Odor, personal

Bromidrophobia or Bromidrosiphobia or Osphresiophobia or Osmophobia

Odor, that one has a vile odor

Autodysomophobia

Odors or smells

Olfactophobia

Official doctrine, challenges to or radical deviation from

Heresyphobia or Hereiophobia

Old people

Gerontophobia

Old, growing

Gerascophobia or Gerontophobia

Open spaces

Agoraphobia

Open high places

Aeroacrophobia

Operation, surgical

Tomophobia

Opinions

Allodoxaphobia

Opinions, expressing

Doxophobia

Others, dependence on

Soteriophobia

Otters

Lutraphobia

Outer space

Spacephobia

Pain

Algiophobia or Odynephobia or Odynophobia or Ponophobia

Painful bowel movements

Defecaloesiophobia

Paper

Papyrophobia

Parasites

Parasitophobia

Parents-in-law

Soceraphobia

Peanut butter sticking to roof of the mouth

Arachibutyrophobia

Pellagra

Pellagrophobia

Penis, erect

Medorthophobia

Penis, especially erect

Phallophobia

Penis, erect: seeing, thinking about or having

Ithyphallophobia

Penis, losing an erection

Medomalacuphobia

People

Anthropophobia

People in general or society

Sociophobia

People, deformed or bearing a deformed child

Teratophobia

Philosophy

Philsosphobia

Phobias

Phobophobia

Phobic preferring fearful situations

Counterphobia

Pins and needles

Belonephobia

Pins

Enetophobia

Place, locked in an enclosed place

Cleithrophobia or Cleisiophobia or Clithrophobia

Place, being in a dark or gloomy

Lygophobia

Places, certain

Topophobia

Places, crowded public

Agoraphobia

Places, open high

Aeroacrophobia

Places or things, narrow

Stenophobia

Plants

Botanophobia

Pleasure, feeling

Hedonophobia

Poetry

Metrophobia

Pointed objects

Aichmophobia

Poison

Iophobia

Poisoned, being

Toxiphobia or Toxophobia or Toxicophobia

Polio - contracting

Poliosophobia

Politicians

Politicophobia

Pope

Papaphobia

Poverty

Peniaphobia

Praise, receiving

Doxophobia

Precipices

Cremnophobia

Prescribing medicine for patients by a doctor

Opiophobia

Priests or sacred things

Hierophobia

Progress

Prosophobia

Property

Orthophobia

Prostitutes or venereal disease

Cypridophobia or Cypriphobia or Cyprianophobia or Cyprinophobia

Public Places

Agoraphobia

Punishment or flogging

Mastigophobia

Punishment by a rod or other instrument, or of being severely criticized

Rhabdophobia

Punishment

Poinephobia

Puppets

Pupaphobia

Purple, color

Porphyrophobia

Rabies

Cynophobia or Hydrophobophobia or Hydrophobia or Kynophobia or Lyssophobia

Radiation or x-rays

Radiophobia

Railroads or train travel

Siderodromophobia

Rain

Ombrophobia or Pluviophobia

Rape

Virginitiphobia

Razors

Xyrophobia

Rat, great mole

Zemmiphobia

Rectum or rectal diseases

Proctophobia or Rectophobia

Red color or blushing

Erythrophobia or Erytophobia or Ereuthophobia

Relatives

Syngenesophobia

Religion or gods

Theophobia

Religious ceremonies

Teleophobia

Reptiles

Herpetophobia

Responsibility or duty, neglecting

Paralipophobia

Responsibility

Hypengyophobia or Hypegiaphobia

Ridiculed, being

Catagelophobia or Katagelophobia

Riding in a car

Amaxophobia

Right side, things on the right side of the body

Dextrophobia

Rivers

Potamphobia or Potamophobia

Road travel or travel

Hodophobia

Robbers or being robbed

Harpaxophobia

Rooms, empty

Cenophobia or Centophobia

Rooms

Koinoniphobia

Ruin

Atephobia

Running water

Potamophobia

Russians

Russophobia

Sacred things or priests

Hierophobia

Satan

Satanophobia

Scabies

Scabiophobia

School, going to school

Didaskaleinophobia

School

Scolionophobia

Scientific terminology, complex

Hellenologophobia

Scratches or being scratched

Amychophobia

Sea or ocean

Thalassophobia

Self, seeing oneself in a mirror

Eisoptrophobia

Self, personal odor

Bromidrosiphobia or Bromidrophobia

Self, being alone

Autophobia or Eremophobia or Eremiphobia or Isolophobia

Self, being dirty

Automysophobia

Self, being oneself

Autophobia

Self, being seen or looked at

Scopophobia or Scoptophobia

Self, being touched

Aphenphosmphobia

Self, that one has a vile odor

Autodysomophobia

Semen

Spermatophobia or Spermophobia

Sermons

Homilophobia

Sex

Genophobia

Sex, opposite

Heterophobia or Sexophobia

Sexual abuse

Contreltophobia

Sexual intercourse

Coitophobia

Sexual love or sexual questions

Erotophobia

Sexual perversion

Paraphobia

Shadows

Sciophobia or Sciaphobia

Sharks

Selachophobia

Shellfish

Ostraconophobia

Shock

Hormephobia

Sin or of having committed an unpardonable sin

Enissophobia or Enosiophobia

Sin

Hamartophobia

Single - staying single

Anuptaphobia

Sinning

Peccatophobia

Sitting down

Kathisophobia

Sitting

Cathisophobia or Thaasophobia

Situations, certain

Topophobia

Skin disease

Dermatosiophobia

Skin lesions

Dermatophobia

Skin of animals, fur

Doraphobia

Sleep

Somniphobia

Sleep or being hypnotized

Hypnophobia

Slime

Blennophobia or Myxophobia

Slopes, steep

Bathmophobia

Small things

Microphobia or Mycrophobia

Smells or odors

Olfactophobia

Smothering or choking

Pnigerophobia or Pnigophobia

Snakes

Ophidiophobia or Snakephobia

Snow

Chionophobia

Social (fear of being evaluated negatively in social situations)

Social Phobia

Society or people in general

Anthropophobia or Sociophobia

Solitude

Monophobia

Sounds

Acousticophobia

Sourness

Acerophobia

Space, closed or locked in an enclosed space

Cleithrophobia or Cleisiophobia or Clithrophobia

Space, outer

Spacephobia

Spaces, confined

Claustrophobia

Spaces, empty

Cenophobia or Centophobia or Kenophobia

Spaces, open

Agoraphobia

Speak, trying to

Glossophobia

Speaking

Laliophobia or Lalophobia

Speaking aloud, voices or noises, or telephones

Phonophobia

Speaking in public

Glossophobia

Specters or ghosts

Spectrophobia

Speed

Tachophobia

Spiders

Arachnephobia or Arachnophobia

Spirits

Pneumatiphobia

Stage fright

Topophobia

Stairs or climbing stairs

Climacophobia

Stairways

Bathmophobia

Stand, inability to

Basiphobia or Basophobia

Standing upright

Basistasiphobia or Basostasophobia

Standing up

Stasiphobia

Standing up and walking

Stasibasiphobia

Stared at, being

Ophthalmophobia

Stars

Astrophobia or Siderophobia

Statements, false or myths or stories

Mythophobia

Staying single

Anuptaphobia

Stealing

Cleptophobia or Kleptophobia

Step-father

Vitricophobia

Steep slopes

Bathmophobia

Step-mother

Novercaphobia

Stings

Cnidophobia

Stooping

Kyphophobia

Stories, myths or false statements

Mythophobia

Strangers

Xenophobia

Streets

Agyrophobia

Streets, crossing them

Dromophobia

String

Linonophobia

Stuttering

Psellismophobia

Suffering and disease

Panthophobia

Sun or sunlight

Heliophobia

Sunshine or daylight

Phengophobia

Surgeon's fear of operating

Ergasiophobia

Surgical operations

Tomophobia

Swallowing or eating

Phagophobia

Swallowing air

Aerophobia

Symbolism

Symbolophobia

Symmetry

Symmetrophobia

Syphilis

Luiphobia or Syphilophobia

Tapeworms

Taeniophobia

Taste

Geumaphobia or Geumophobia

Technology

Technophobia

Teenagers

Ephebiphobia

Teeth

Odontophobia

Telephones, noises, voices, or speaking aloud

Phonophobia

Telephones

Telephonophobia

Termites

Isopterophobia

Tests, taking

Testophobia

Tetanus or lockjaw

Tetanophobia

Theaters

Theatrophobia

Theology

Theologicophobia

Things, many

Polyphobia

Things, large

Megalophobia

Things or places, narrow

Stenophobia

Things, small

Microphobia or Mycrophobia

Thinkin

Phronemophobia

Thunder

Ceraunophobia

Thunder storms

Brontophobia

Thunder and lightning

Astraphobia or Astrapophobia or Brontophobia or Keraunophobia

Tickled by feathers or feathers

Pteronophobia

Tied or bound

Merinthophobia

Time or clocks

Chronophobia

Toads

Bufonophobia

Tombstones

Placophobia

Tornadoes and hurricanes

Lilapsophobia

Touched, being touched

Aphenphosmphobia or Chiraptophobia or Haphephobia or Haptephobia

Trains, railroads or train travel

Siderodromophobia

Travel or road travel

Hodophobia

Trees

Dendrophobia

Trembling

Tremophobia

Trichinosis

Trichinophobia

Tuberculosis

Phthisiophobia or Tuberculophobia

Tyrants

Tyrannophobia

Ugliness

Cacophobia

Undressing in front of someone

Dishabillophobia

Urine or urinating

Urophobia

Vaccination

Vaccinophobia

Vegetables

Lachanophobia

Vehicle or car (riding in)

Amaxophobia

Venereal disease or prostitutes

Cypridophobia or Cypriphobia or Cyprianophobia or Cyprinophobia

Ventriloquist's dummy

Automatonophobia

Vertigo or dizziness when looking down

Illyngophobia

Virginity, losing one's

Primeisodophobia

Virgins or young girls

Parthenophobia

Vision, double vision

Diplophobia

Voices or noises, speaking aloud or telephones

Phonophobia

Voids or empty spaces

Kenophobia

Vomiting

Emetophobia

Vomiting secondary to airsickness

Aeronausiphobia

Waits, long

Macrophobia

Walking, standing up

Stasibasiphobia

Walking

Ambulophobia or Basistasiphobia or Basostasophobia

Washing

Abultophobia

Wasps

Spheksophobia

Water

Hydrophobia

Waves or wave like motions

Cymophobia or Kymophobia

Wax statues

Automatonophobia

Weakness

Asthenophobia

Wealth

Plutophobia

Weapons, nuclear

Nucleomituphobia

Weight, gaining

Obesophobia or Pocrescophobia

Wet dreams

Oneirogmophobia

Whirlpools or dizzyness

Dinophobia

Wild animals

Agrizoophobia

Wind

Ancraophobia or Anemophobia

Wine

Oenophobia

Witches and Witchcraft

Wiccaphobia

Women

Gynephobia or Gynophobia

Women, beautiful

Caligynephobia or Venstraphobia

Wooden objects

Xylophobia

Words

Logophobia or Verbophobia

Words, long

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia or Sesquipedalophobia

Work

Ergasiophobia or Ponophobia

Worms

Scoleciphobia

Worms, being infested with

Helminthophobia

Wrinkles, getting

Rhytiphobia

Writing

Graphophobia

Writing in public

Scriptophobia

X-rays or radiation

Radiophobia

Yellow color

Xanthophobia