Glossary
Psychiatrist Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential psychiatrist terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key psychiatrist vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in psychiatrist training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- Antipsychotic
- Medication for psychosis.
- CBT
- Cognitive behavioral therapy.
- Collaborative care
- Psychiatry integrated into primary care.
- Comorbidity
- Co-occurring conditions.
- DSM-5
- Diagnostic manual for mental disorders.
- ECT
- Electroconvulsive therapy.
- Involuntary hold
- Emergency psychiatric detention.
- MAT
- Medication for addiction treatment.
- Mood stabilizer
- Medication for bipolar disorder.
- Psychotherapy
- Talk therapy.
- Side effect
- Unwanted drug effect.
- SSRI
- A common antidepressant class.
- Suicide risk assessment
- Evaluating danger to self.
- Telepsychiatry
- Psychiatry by video.
- Therapeutic alliance
- Trust between patient and doctor.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Psychiatrist practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Psychiatrist training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.