Fourth Edition, September 2011

Multidisciplinary Team
Mental health professionals employed by a public 
mental health service who work together to provide 
treatment and care for people with mental illness. 
They include: social workers, psychiatric nurses, psych-
iatrists, child and youth workers, occupational ther-
apists, and psychologists.
Nervous Breakdown
A lay term commonly used to describe an emotional 
disturbance or mental illness. This term is not used by 
mental health professionals.
Neuroleptics
This term is frequently used to refer to antipsychotic 
medication.
Neuroses/Neurotic Disorders 
Mental disorders commonly associated with distress-
ing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Neurotic 
disorders are diff erent from psychotic disorders in 
that the person does not experience a loss of reality. 
Neuroses/Neurotic disorders has been largely replaced 
by more specifi c terms such as anxiety disorders and 
mood disorders.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
A disorder in which the person may experience strong 
impulses to perform certain acts over and over again, 
even though they realise this is illogical. They are the 
result of recurrent and persistent thoughts and urges 
that cannot be easily controlled or ignored. This can 
cause great distress to the individual and interfere 
with their ability to perform life activities. For example, 
a person may continually wash their hands or check to 
see if the door is locked.

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3 . 9
Glossary of terms and abbreviations
Making a Diff erence: An Educators’ Guide to Child and Youth Mental Health Problems
www.cymhin.ca
Obsession
Recurrent and persistent thought, impulse, or image 
experienced as intrusive and distressing. Recognized 
as being excessive and unreasonable even though it 
is the product of one’s mind. This thought, impulse, or 
image cannot be expunged by logic or reasoning.