Abuli :

An inability to initiate a voluntary movement, or a delay in completing a voluntary movement, due to a loss of volition and an inability to make decisions.

Aerofaji :

Swallowing more air than usual. This is common in depression and anxiety disorders, and leads to frequent belching and hiccups.

Afazi :

This refers to a condition characterised by an inability to speak or to understand speech. It is most commonly seen in neurological disorders.

Affekt :

Emotion. A fleeting feeling. Angry, happy, excited, scared, sad… and so on.

Agorafobi :

In Ancient Greek, it means ‘fear of a place’. In other words, it is the fear of being in places where a person believes they would be unable to escape or get help if something bad were to happen to them. Examples of such places include public transport, the underground, aeroplanes, queuing, being in a crowd, or being outside the home alone.

Ajitasyon :

A state of excessive hyperactivity that is not functionally adaptive. An increase in verbal or behavioural activity to the extent that it puts the individual or those around them at risk.

Akarofobi :

Don’t be afraid of small creatures such as insects and worms.

Akatizi :

It is a side effect observed during treatment with antipsychotic drugs. It is characterised by increased restlessness, such as an inability to sit still or a constant need to move the legs, alongside a subjective sense of unease.

Akla yatkınlaştırma (rasyonalizasyon) :

It is one of the defence mechanisms of the ego. It involves finding explanations or excuses that seem plausible but do not cause distress, in response to situations that might otherwise give rise to feelings of distress or guilt

Akrofobi :

Fear of heights and high places

Aktarım :

During the therapeutic process, the client’s feelings and attitudes towards people who were previously important to them (parents, partner, sister, brother, teacher, etc.) are directed towards the therapist; in other words, the feelings the person had previously developed towards those who were important to them are transferred to the therapist.

Aleksitimi :

Emotional blindness. An inability to recognise or identify one’s emotions. A general reluctance to express one’s emotions.

Alınganlık :

A condition in which a person reacts excessively to criticism—even if it is directed at them, or even when it is not—due to a lack of self-confidence.

Alloplasti :

An individual’s adaptation by altering their external environment. This is particularly observed in personality disorders; as these individuals exhibit alloplastic adaptation, they attempt to adapt their environment to suit themselves rather than changing their own attitudes, and thus continue to experience conflict and friction with their environment.

Aloji :

A state of reduced speech. These individuals do not speak much; they give one- or two-word answers to questions. In negative-symptom schizophrenia, this manifests as a lack of fluency and poor content in speech.

Alt benlik :

Also known as the ‘id’, it is the oldest component of the psyche, a part that is inherited and present from birth. It is a structure that is entirely unconscious, without rules, demanding the immediate fulfilment of desires without recognising any rules, operating according to the pleasure principle, having no connection to the external world, and disregarding concepts of time and place. Its sole purpose is the immediate satisfaction of instinctual drives and the attainment of pleasure; there is no question of delay or postponement. In early childhood, the id is dominant; consequently, the infant demands immediate gratification, cannot delay or wait, and insists that its desires be fulfilled at once. Here, primary-process thinking prevails; there is no logic, no cause-and-effect relationship—it is demanded that things happen instantly. This type of primary-process thinking and id dominance is also observed in schizophrenia and in dreams.

Altruizm :

Self-sacrifice. The act of putting others first by postponing one’s own priorities, even though this imposes a material or emotional burden on oneself. Sometimes it occurs naturally, as when a mother cares for her child; at other times, it is used as a defence mechanism of the self (resolving inner conflict through self-sacrifice).

Ambivalans :

Ambivalent emotions. The state of experiencing conflicting emotions, thoughts or desires simultaneously. An example of this is someone who, whilst feeling angry with their much-loved mother on a particular day, experiences both love and hatred at the same time. Although this condition is commonly observed to a mild degree, it is particularly pronounced in patients with schizophrenia; they may refuse treatment, then take their medication, and then refuse it again.

Amfetamin :

It is a substance that stimulates the release of a chemical called dopamine (a neurotransmitter) in the central nervous system. It boosts mood, promotes alertness and enhances concentration.

Amigdala :

In Greek, it means ‘almond’. It is part of the limbic system in the brain. This structure is responsible for behaviours related to fear, panic, anxiety and sexual urges, as well as for their storage as memories. For example, when a fear association is learned, the same behaviour is repeated in a patterned way thanks to memory. It is quite difficult to forget this type of emotional memory. However, if learning is reshaped using therapeutic techniques, the fear memory can be altered.

Amimi :

A reduction in or absence of facial expressions and hand and arm movements (gestures), and an inability to understand the facial expressions and gestures of others.

Amnezi :

Remember, memory loss. This may involve an inability to recall events from the past (retrograde amnesia) or from the future (anterograde amnesia).

Amoksofobi :

A fear of getting into a vehicle, whether as a driver or a passenger.

Amotivasyonel sendrom :

A condition characterised by a lack of desire to do anything, a sense of apathy, and a loss of motivation to work regularly, most commonly observed in people who have used substances such as cannabis (marijuana) over a long period.

Anal dönem :

This is a period, roughly spanning the ages of 1 to 3, during which the child’s entire focus is on toilet training and they are forced to adapt their behaviour to the wishes of others (parents). They have now transitioned from a horizontal, dependent position to one where they can be vertical and autonomous. Through toilet training, the child learns to hold and release. They are now an individual who soils themselves when angry with their mother, yet uses the toilet when wishing to please her. Furthermore, by being rewarded and receiving attention when they hold their bowel movements and urination until the desired time and place, and facing a reaction when they do so in an inappropriate place, they begin to learn societal concepts such as good, bad, right and wrong. This period, also known as the ‘terrible twos’, is a time when the child becomes stubborn when restricted, experiences tantrums, and tries to learn their own boundaries. Another characteristic specific to this period is ambivalence, where conflicting emotions and behaviours coexist simultaneously. The child may hug their mother affectionately whilst, at the same time, biting her hard enough to cause pain.

Anal kişilik :

This is a personality type observed in later life among individuals who have not successfully completed certain developmental stages during the anal stage. These individuals tend to be excessively meticulous, orderly, rule-bound, stubborn and overly controlling.

Anankastik kişilik :

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder is also known as obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.

Androfobi :

Don’t be overly afraid of men

Andromani :

An excessive infatuation with men

Andromimezis :

It refers to a situation where a woman identifies as a man and lives her life as a man. The individual consistently adopts a masculine appearance and identity; they may undergo hormone therapy to achieve masculinisation, and may have their female reproductive organs surgically removed (hysterectomy) or their breasts removed (mastectomy).

Anerji :

A lack of inner strength, or energy. This is observed in situations where one feels exhausted or unmotivated and has no desire to do anything, such as getting out of bed, and is also seen in depression.

Anhedoni :

In Greek, it means ‘loss of pleasure’. It refers to the state of no longer being able to derive pleasure even from activities that once brought joy. It is one of the most prominent symptoms of depression.

Animistik düşünce :

It is the belief that inanimate objects have a soul. This is common among young children, who believe that their toys are alive and that they can communicate with them. In adulthood, this belief is only observed in mental disorders such as schizophrenia.

Anjinofobi :

Fear of drowning or choking.

Anksiyete :

Anxiety, worry, unease, a feeling of constriction

Anomi :

Anomia is a language disorder characterised by an inability to name objects or recall words. It is a type of aphasia, a neurological condition (sensory aphasia – anomic aphasia).

Anoreksiya :

Lack of appetite, loss of appetite.

Anoreksiya nervoza :

Although the individual is severely underweight, they perceive themselves or certain parts of their body as fat due to a distorted body image. The individual refuses to reach the lowest level of normal body weight, has an intense fear of gaining weight, and therefore engages in behaviours that make weight gain difficult (excessive exercise, self-induced vomiting, etc.). There is a disturbance in how the individual perceives their body weight or shape, and they fail to recognise the significance of their current low body weight.

Anorektik :

1. A person with anorexia. 2. A medicine that reduces the appetite

Anorgazmi :

Inability to orgasm.

Anosognozi :

Lack of awareness of the condition; a lack of insight into the condition. It is a neurological condition resulting from brain damage. People who have suffered a stroke (paralysis) in the non-dominant hemisphere of the brain (the right hemisphere) are unable to use their left arm and leg (hemiplegia). Some of these patients with hemiplegia are unable to realise that the left side of their body is paralysed. In schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, anosognosia presents itself as a ‘lack of awareness and insight’, meaning the person is unaware that they are ill and does not accept the diagnosis.

Antidepresan :

These are medicines used to treat depression. They are also used to treat anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder. These medicines are used to restore neurotransmitter levels in the brain to normal levels.

Antipsikotik :

These are medicines used to reduce or eliminate symptoms in psychotic disorders and schizophrenia; broadly speaking, they are used to restore dopamine and other neurotransmitter levels in the brain—which are elevated in these conditions—to normal levels.

Antisosyal kişilik :

Sociopath or psychopath. From childhood, through adolescence and into adulthood, they exhibit behaviours such as disregard for the rights of others, failure to comply with social norms, breaking rules, and defiance of authority. They have high rates of resorting to violence and committing crimes.

Antropofobi :

Don’t be afraid of people or society.

Apandriya :

Not liking men, feeling repulsed by them, or hating them.

Apati :

Emotional detachment, indifference, apathy. A high degree of indifference, insensitivity and apathy towards one’s surroundings.

Apne :

Temporary cessation of breathing.

Apraksi :

The inability to perform learned, meaningful movements despite having the ability and desire to move. This is a neurocognitive symptom. In other words, it is the inability to perform a task that the person has previously been able to do, despite having no difficulty understanding it.

Araknofobi :

Fear of spiders

Aralıklı patlayıcı bozukluk :

It is a disorder characterised by recurrent outbursts of behaviour where aggressive impulses cannot be controlled. These behaviours may take the form of verbal or physical aggression.

Aritmomani :

Obsession with counting

Asosyal :

Someone who cannot integrate into society, who lives in their own shell, and who pays no heed to social values.

Asperger bozukluğu :

It is one of the autism spectrum disorders characterised by difficulties with social interaction and restricted, repetitive interests and activities. Unlike those with autism spectrum disorder, individuals with Asperger’s do not experience delays in language or cognitive development. These individuals have difficulties with non-verbal communication skills, struggle to form emotional bonds with peers, are physically clumsy, have specific and narrow interests, and are so intensely focused on a particular subject that they possess extensive knowledge on that topic.

Avolisyon :

A reduction in purposeful activities initiated by the individual of their own volition. The individual may remain seated for long periods and show no desire or interest in participating in social activities.