Information for the public
Terms explained
Terms explained
Antisocial personality disorder
A personality disorder is a condition that leads to a person (usually over the age of 18) having unstable moods, thoughts, behaviour and self-image. When a person has an antisocial personality disorder they may behave unlawfully (and be repeatedly arrested and convicted), deceive people, behave angrily and aggressively, feel agitated or depressed a lot of the time, be easily bored or impulsive, behave irresponsibly and exploit or manipulate other people, not care about the safety and feelings of other people and not feel remorse when causing harm to others.
Assessment
Meeting with a health or social care professional to discuss your mental and physical health, family background and everyday life, to find out what the problem is, how severe it is and the most suitable treatments.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
ADHD for short. A common behavioural disorder in children and young people. The symptoms of ADHD include being inattentive, disorganised, easily distracted and forgetful, unable to listen when people are talking or concentrate on tasks, hyperactive (which means being fidgety, feeling unable to sit still or talking constantly) and impulsive.
Autism
A condition that affects brain development, which means that the brain develops in a different way from other people. The main symptoms are finding it hard to deal with social situations, having difficulties with speech and communicating with other people, having narrow interests or obsessions, and repeating routines or movements.
Care plan
A plan of your treatment and care, which also includes what you can do to keep well and how to manage your symptoms.
Depression
A common mental health problem, the main symptoms of which are losing pleasure in things that were once enjoyable and losing interest in everyday activities and other people.
Post-traumatic stress disorder
PTSD for short. Psychological and physical symptoms that can sometimes follow particular threatening or distressing events. One of the most common symptoms of PTSD is having repeated and intrusive distressing memories of the event. There may also be a feeling of reliving the event through flashbacks or nightmares. There can also be physical reactions, such as shaking and sweating.
Psychological therapy
A treatment that involves meeting with a therapist to talk about feelings and thoughts and how these affect behaviour and wellbeing.