Plain-language reference

Glossary of mental health terms

Mental health care comes with a lot of jargon. Here are 43 common terms — conditions, treatments, provider types, and levels of care — defined in everyday language. Search below or jump to a letter.

A

Anxiety: A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease. Everyone feels anxious sometimes, but an anxiety disorder means the worry is frequent, intense, and hard to control, and it gets in the way of daily life. It's very treatable with therapy, medication, or both.Learn: Anxiety GAD-7 screener
Assertive Community Treatment (ACT): An intensive, team-based service that brings mental health care to people with serious mental illness wherever they are — at home or in the community — instead of only in a clinic. An ACT team is available around the clock and helps with treatment, medication, housing, and daily living.
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A condition that affects attention, impulse control, and activity level. People with ADHD may struggle to focus, stay organized, or sit still. It often starts in childhood but can continue into adulthood, and it's managed with therapy, coaching, medication, and structure.

B

Bipolar disorder: A condition marked by big shifts in mood and energy — periods of very high or irritable mood (mania or hypomania) and periods of depression. Between episodes, mood can be stable. It's a lifelong condition that's typically managed with medication and therapy.

C

Case management: Help navigating and coordinating services. A case manager connects a person to care, benefits, housing, and other supports, keeps the pieces working together, and follows up to make sure needs are met.
Catchment area: The specific geographic region a community mental health center is responsible for serving. In New Hampshire, every town falls within one of ten catchment areas, each served by a designated center.NH catchment map
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): A common, evidence-based talk therapy built on the idea that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are connected. CBT helps people notice unhelpful thought patterns and change them, along with practicing new behaviors. It's usually short-term and skills-focused.CBT thought record
Community Mental Health Center (CMHC): A local organization that provides mental health services to everyone in its catchment area, regardless of ability to pay. New Hampshire has ten CMHCs that form the backbone of the state's public mental health system, offering therapy, psychiatry, crisis services, and case management.CMHC directory Catchment map
Crisis stabilization: Short-term, intensive support to help someone through an acute mental health crisis and avoid a hospital stay. It can happen in a special short-stay facility or at home with a mobile team, and usually lasts from a day to about a week.Crisis resources

D

Depression: More than ordinary sadness — a persistent low mood, loss of interest, and low energy that lasts at least two weeks and interferes with daily life. It can also affect sleep, appetite, concentration, and self-worth. It's common and very treatable.Learn: Depression PHQ-9 screener
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): A structured therapy that teaches concrete skills in four areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. Originally developed for intense emotions and self-harm, it's now used for many concerns and often combines individual therapy with a skills group.
Dual diagnosis: Having both a mental health condition and a substance use disorder at the same time. The two often affect each other, so the best care treats them together rather than separately.Substance use resources

E

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): A structured therapy for trauma. While recalling a distressing memory, the person follows a back-and-forth motion (often the therapist's finger or a light), which helps the brain reprocess the memory so it feels less overwhelming over time.
Exposure therapy: A type of therapy that helps people gradually and safely face the things they fear or avoid, so anxiety decreases over time. It's a leading treatment for phobias, panic, OCD, and PTSD.

F

Family therapy: Therapy that involves family members together, focusing on communication, relationships, and patterns among them rather than on one person alone. It's often used with children and teens, or when a family is coping with a shared stress.

G

Grounding: Simple techniques that help bring your attention back to the present moment when you feel anxious, panicky, or disconnected — for example, naming things you can see, hear, and touch. Grounding calms the nervous system and interrupts spiraling thoughts.5-4-3-2-1 grounding tool
Group therapy: Therapy led by a clinician with several participants who share a common concern. Members learn skills, practice them, and support one another. It can be used on its own or alongside individual therapy.

H

HIPAA: A federal law that protects the privacy of your health information. It limits how providers and health plans can share your records and gives you rights over your own information.

I

Inpatient care: Treatment that involves staying overnight in a hospital or facility, used when someone needs close, around-the-clock support and safety — for example during a severe crisis. Stays are usually short and focused on stabilization.
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP): A step between weekly therapy and hospitalization: several hours of structured treatment a few days a week, while the person continues living at home. Often used for mental health or substance use recovery.
Involuntary commitment: A legal process for providing emergency mental health treatment to someone who is at serious risk of harming themselves or others and is unable to accept care voluntarily. It has strict criteria and legal protections, and is meant as a last resort for safety.

L

Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC / LCMHC): A master's-level clinician trained and licensed to provide talk therapy and counseling. They diagnose and treat mental health conditions but do not prescribe medication.

M

Medication management: Ongoing care from a prescriber (such as a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner) who starts, adjusts, and monitors psychiatric medications, watching for benefits and side effects. It often happens alongside therapy provided by someone else.
Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT): The use of FDA-approved medications, combined with counseling, to treat substance use disorders — most often opioid or alcohol use. The medication reduces cravings and withdrawal so recovery is more manageable.Substance use resources
Mindfulness: The practice of paying attention to the present moment on purpose, without judging it. Mindfulness — through breathing, meditation, or everyday awareness — can reduce stress and is woven into many therapies.Guided breathing

O

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): A condition involving unwanted, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors or mental acts done to relieve the anxiety they cause (compulsions). It's treatable, most effectively with a specific type of exposure therapy and sometimes medication.
Outpatient care: Treatment you attend while living at home — regular appointments such as weekly therapy or medication visits. It's the most common form of mental health care.

P

Panic attack: A sudden wave of intense fear with physical symptoms like a racing heart, shortness of breath, dizziness, or a feeling of losing control. It peaks within minutes and, while frightening, is not dangerous. Grounding and breathing skills can help.5-4-3-2-1 grounding tool
Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP): A day program offering hospital-level treatment — often most of the day, most days of the week — while the person goes home at night. It's a step down from inpatient care or a step up from outpatient therapy.
Peer support: Support from someone with lived experience of mental health or substance use challenges who is trained to help others in recovery. Peer supporters offer connection, hope, and practical guidance from a place of shared understanding.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): A condition that can develop after a frightening or life-threatening event. Symptoms include flashbacks or nightmares, avoiding reminders, feeling on edge, and negative changes in mood. Effective trauma-focused therapies exist, and recovery is possible.PCL-5 screener
Psychiatrist: A medical doctor (MD or DO) who specializes in mental health. Psychiatrists can diagnose conditions, prescribe and manage medication, and some also provide therapy. Compare with a psychologist and a licensed counselor.
Psychologist: A doctoral-level professional (PhD or PsyD) who provides therapy and conducts psychological testing and assessment. In most settings psychologists do not prescribe medication. Compare with a psychiatrist and a licensed counselor.
Psychosis: A state of losing some contact with reality — for example seeing or hearing things that aren't there (hallucinations) or holding fixed false beliefs (delusions). It's a symptom, not a diagnosis, and early treatment leads to better outcomes.

S

Safety plan: A personal, written plan made in advance to help someone stay safe during a suicidal crisis. It lists warning signs, coping steps, people and places for support, ways to make the environment safer, and crisis contacts.Safety planning tool
Sliding scale: A pricing approach where the fee is adjusted to a person's income and ability to pay, so care costs less for people who earn less. Many community providers and clinics offer it.
SSRI: A common class of antidepressant medication also used for anxiety and other conditions. SSRIs adjust levels of a brain chemical called serotonin. They usually take a few weeks to work fully and are prescribed and monitored by a medical provider.
Substance Use Disorder (SUD): A treatable medical condition in which a person keeps using alcohol or other drugs despite harm to their health, relationships, or responsibilities. It ranges from mild to severe and responds to counseling, medication, and support.Substance use resources AUDIT-C alcohol screen

T

Telehealth: Mental health care delivered remotely by phone or secure video instead of in person. It expands access — especially in rural areas — and is offered by many New Hampshire providers.Telehealth providers
Trauma-informed care: An approach in which providers recognize how common trauma is and shape care to feel safe, trustworthy, and empowering — so services help rather than unintentionally re-traumatize. It's a mindset that runs through the whole organization, not a single treatment.

W

Warm line: A non-emergency phone line, often staffed by peers, for support and conversation when you're struggling but not in crisis. It's for connection and early help before things escalate — distinct from a crisis line.Crisis & warm lines
Wraparound: A team-based planning approach — used especially for children and youth with complex needs — that brings together family, providers, and natural supports to build one coordinated plan around the family's own goals.

#

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: The nationwide number to call or text for a mental health, suicide, or substance use crisis, available free and confidentially 24/7. In New Hampshire it connects to local crisis support, and NH Rapid Response (833-710-6477) can dispatch a mobile team.Crisis resources

Want to go deeper?

These definitions are a starting point, not a diagnosis. Explore the Learn library for in-depth articles, or the FAQ for questions about finding and paying for care in New Hampshire.