Massachusetts Psychiatry, LLC
Psychiatry and Mental Health Glossary
This glossary provides clear, patient-friendly definitions of common psychiatric, mental health, diagnostic, and treatment terms used across Massachusetts Psychiatry's services, so patients and families can better understand mental health information as they make decisions about care.
Direct psychiatric care through Massachusetts Psychiatry is provided to patients ages 12 to 65 through secure telepsychiatry. Parent coaching is designed for parents and caregivers of children and teens and is separate from direct clinical treatment of a child.
80 terms across 17 letters
No glossary terms match your search. Try a different word, such as "medication," "therapy," or "evaluation."
A
ADHD
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition involving persistent patterns of inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity that can interfere with daily functioning. ADHD-related concerns can be addressed through medication management, psychotherapy, or parent coaching for families navigating related school or behavioral stress.
Adolescent Psychiatry
Adolescent psychiatry focuses on evaluating and treating emotional, behavioral, developmental, and mental health concerns affecting teenagers. Direct psychiatric care at Massachusetts Psychiatry is available to patients ages 12 to 65, with parent coaching offered as separate support for parents of younger children.
Antidepressant
An antidepressant is a category of psychiatric medication used to treat depression and, in some cases, anxiety or other conditions, when clinically appropriate.
Anxiety
Anxiety can involve excessive worry, fear, tension, physical symptoms, or a sense of unease that varies in intensity and impact from person to person. Anxiety-related concerns can be addressed through psychotherapy, medication management, or a combined approach, depending on what is clinically appropriate.
B
Behavioral Health
Behavioral health is a broad term covering the relationship between behaviors, emotional well-being, mental health, and overall health.
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder involving episodes of significant changes in mood, energy, activity, and functioning. It can be addressed through evaluation, medication management, and psychotherapy, or through a second opinion when additional review of an existing diagnosis is wanted.
Board Certification
Board certification indicates that a physician has met the requirements of a recognized medical specialty board. Dr. Sophia L. Maurasse, MD is board-certified in General Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Burnout
Burnout commonly describes emotional, mental, or physical exhaustion associated with prolonged stress, often involving work, caregiving, or other sustained demands. Burnout-related stress can be addressed through psychotherapy.
C
Care Coordination
Care coordination involves organizing communication and treatment across healthcare professionals when multiple providers are involved in someone's care.
Caregiver Burnout
Caregiver burnout describes emotional, mental, or physical exhaustion that can develop when caregiving demands become difficult to sustain.
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Child and adolescent psychiatry is a medical specialty focused on mental, emotional, developmental, and behavioral concerns affecting children and teenagers. Direct psychiatric care at Massachusetts Psychiatry is available to patients ages 12 to 65; parent coaching supports parents of younger children.
Clinical Supervision
Clinical supervision is professional consultation that helps clinicians examine cases, clinical reasoning, treatment decisions, and aspects of professional practice. Clinical supervision is available at Massachusetts Psychiatry for clinicians managing complex cases.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is a structured, goal-oriented form of psychotherapy that focuses on the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Combined Treatment
Combined treatment uses psychotherapy and psychiatric medication together when both approaches are clinically appropriate for an individual's needs.
Co-Parenting
Co-parenting refers to the shared responsibilities and communication between parents raising a child together, whether or not they live in the same household.
Compulsion
A compulsion is a repetitive behavior or mental act that a person feels driven to perform, often in response to an obsession or according to rigid rules.
Confidentiality
Confidentiality refers to the professional and legal protections that keep a patient's health information private, with limited exceptions defined by law.
Controlled Substance
A controlled substance is a medication regulated by federal and state law because of its potential for misuse, and its prescribing is subject to additional monitoring requirements.
Coping Skills
Coping skills are strategies people use to respond to stress, difficult emotions, challenging situations, or changes in everyday life.
D
Depression
Depression is a mood condition that can involve persistent sadness or loss of interest along with changes in thinking, motivation, energy, sleep, appetite, or daily functioning. Depression can be addressed through psychotherapy, medication management, or a combined approach.
Diagnostic Clarification
Diagnostic clarification involves reviewing symptoms, history, previous diagnoses, treatment response, and other relevant information to develop a clearer understanding of a person's clinical picture.
Dose Adjustment
A dose adjustment is a clinician-directed change to the amount or schedule of a medication based on factors such as treatment response, side effects, and individual clinical needs.
E
Emotional Regulation
Emotional regulation refers to the ways people recognize, manage, and respond to emotions while navigating everyday situations.
Evidence-Based Treatment
Evidence-based treatment uses clinical approaches informed by scientific research while also considering professional judgment, individual circumstances, and patient preferences.
Executive Function
Executive function refers to mental processes involved in planning, organizing, remembering instructions, managing attention, regulating behavior, and completing tasks.
F
Family Conflict
Family conflict refers to recurring disagreements, tension, communication difficulties, or relationship challenges among family members.
Follow-Up Appointment
A psychiatric follow-up appointment reviews changes in symptoms, functioning, medication response, side effects, concerns, and progress since an earlier visit.
G
General Psychiatry
General psychiatry is the medical specialty concerned with evaluating and treating mental health conditions and emotional or behavioral concerns.
Grief
Grief is a natural response to loss that can affect emotions, thoughts, behavior, relationships, sleep, and everyday functioning differently for each person.
Grief Counseling
Grief counseling provides therapeutic support for people navigating emotional and practical changes associated with loss.
H
Hyperactivity
Hyperactivity can involve unusually high levels of movement, restlessness, talking, or difficulty remaining still when circumstances call for it.
Hypervigilance
Hypervigilance describes a heightened state of alertness in which someone may feel unusually watchful or sensitive to possible threats.
I
IEP
An Individualized Education Program, or IEP, is a legally defined plan developed by a school team that outlines specialized instruction and services for an eligible student.
Impulsivity
Impulsivity refers to acting quickly without fully considering possible consequences and can occur in several different clinical and nonclinical contexts.
Inattention
Inattention can involve difficulty maintaining focus, organizing tasks, following instructions, remembering responsibilities, or managing distractions.
Informed Consent
Informed consent is the process of understanding the relevant facts, risks, and options for a proposed treatment before agreeing to proceed with it.
Intake
A psychiatric intake is the initial information-gathering process used to understand a patient's concerns, history, current symptoms, medications, and reasons for seeking care. Intake appointments at Massachusetts Psychiatry are conducted through secure telepsychiatry.
L
Life Transition
A life transition is a significant change, such as starting or ending a relationship, changing careers, becoming a parent, moving, experiencing loss, or entering a different stage of life, that may create emotional stress or require adjustment.
Loneliness
Loneliness is the distressing feeling that a person's social or emotional connections do not meet their needs, even when other people may be physically present.
M
Major Depressive Disorder
Major depressive disorder is a depressive condition involving a pattern of symptoms that may affect mood, interest, energy, thinking, sleep, appetite, and daily functioning.
Medication Management
Medication management is the ongoing evaluation and monitoring of psychiatric medication, including treatment response, side effects, dosage, concerns, and whether medication remains appropriate. This includes what is sometimes called medication monitoring or symptom monitoring.
Medication Review
A medication review examines current and previous medications, treatment response, side effects, interactions, concerns, and other relevant clinical information.
Mood Disorder
A mood disorder is a category of mental health conditions in which significant disturbances or changes in mood are a central feature.
Mood Stabilizer
A mood stabilizer is a category of psychiatric medication used to help manage mood episodes associated with certain mood disorders, including bipolar disorder.
O
Obsession
An obsession is a recurring and unwanted thought, image, or urge that can cause distress or anxiety.
OCD
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a condition involving obsessions, compulsions, or both that can become time-consuming or interfere with daily functioning. OCD-related concerns can be addressed through psychotherapy, and combined with medication management when appropriate.
OCPD
Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is a personality pattern distinct from OCD that can involve rigid perfectionism, excessive orderliness, and a strong need for control.
Online Psychiatry
Online psychiatry provides psychiatric services remotely through secure technology and may include evaluation, psychotherapy, medication management, and follow-up when clinically appropriate.
Out-of-Network Reimbursement
Out-of-network reimbursement refers to the process of seeking partial repayment from an insurance plan for services received from a provider who is not contracted with that plan. Massachusetts Psychiatry is a private-pay practice, and superbills are available for patients who want to seek this type of reimbursement.
P
Parent Coaching
Parent coaching provides structured guidance that helps parents understand family patterns and develop practical strategies for behavioral, emotional, attentional, school, or communication challenges. Sessions are held directly with Dr. Maurasse and focus on strategies for the parent, rather than direct treatment of the child.
Private Pay
Private pay describes a practice model in which patients or families are responsible for the cost of care directly, rather than the practice billing insurance. Massachusetts Psychiatry is a private-pay practice, and superbills are available for out-of-network reimbursement.
Psychiatric Diagnosis
A psychiatric diagnosis is a clinical determination made after evaluating a person's symptoms, history, functioning, and other relevant information against established diagnostic criteria.
Psychiatric Evaluation
A psychiatric evaluation, also referred to as a psychiatric assessment, is a detailed clinical assessment used to understand mental health concerns, symptoms, history, functioning, medications, and potential treatment needs. Evaluations at Massachusetts Psychiatry are conducted through secure telepsychiatry.
Psychiatric Medication
Psychiatric medication refers to medication used to treat or manage certain mental health symptoms or conditions when clinically appropriate.
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor trained to evaluate, diagnose, and treat mental health conditions, including prescribing and monitoring medication when appropriate. Dr. Sophia L. Maurasse, MD is the psychiatrist at Massachusetts Psychiatry.
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty concerned with evaluating, diagnosing, treating, and helping prevent mental, emotional, and behavioral conditions.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic therapy is a form of psychotherapy that explores how past experiences, relationships, and unconscious patterns can influence present thoughts, feelings, and behavior.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a structured therapeutic process using conversation and evidence-informed approaches to address emotional, behavioral, psychological, or relationship concerns.
PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition that can develop following exposure to trauma and may involve intrusive symptoms, avoidance, changes in mood or thinking, and heightened reactivity.
R
Relapse
Relapse generally refers to the return or worsening of symptoms after a period of improvement or stability.
S
Safety Plan
A safety plan is a personalized plan, often developed together with a clinician, that outlines coping strategies, support contacts, and steps to take during a mental health crisis.
School Accommodations
School accommodations are adjustments to the classroom environment, instruction, or testing that help a student with a disability or diagnosed condition access their education.
School Refusal
School refusal describes significant difficulty attending or remaining at school that is often associated with emotional distress rather than simply choosing to skip school.
Second Opinion
A psychiatric second opinion is an independent clinical review of an existing diagnosis, medication regimen, treatment plan, or unresolved psychiatric question.
Side Effect
A side effect is an unintended effect of a medication that occurs alongside its intended therapeutic effect and can range from mild to more significant.
Sleep Problems
Sleep problems can include difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, sleeping at unwanted times, or experiencing sleep that does not feel restorative. Sleep-related concerns can be addressed as part of a broader psychiatric evaluation.
SSRI
A selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, or SSRI, is a commonly prescribed category of antidepressant medication.
Stimulant Medication
Stimulant medication is a category of medication sometimes used in the treatment of ADHD, prescribed and monitored according to individual clinical need.
Stress
Stress is the mental and physical response to demands, pressures, changes, or challenging circumstances and can affect people differently.
Superbill
A superbill is an itemized receipt of services that a private-pay practice provides so a patient can seek out-of-network reimbursement from their insurance plan. Superbills are available at Massachusetts Psychiatry upon request.
T
Telehealth
Telehealth is the broader delivery of healthcare services using telecommunications technology when patients and clinicians are in different locations.
Telepsychiatry
Telepsychiatry is psychiatric care delivered remotely through secure video technology and can include evaluation, psychotherapy, medication management, and follow-up when clinically appropriate. Massachusetts Psychiatry delivers care primarily through secure telepsychiatry statewide.
Therapy
Therapy is a broad term for professional approaches designed to address emotional, behavioral, psychological, relationship, or other health concerns.
Titration
Titration is the gradual adjustment of a medication dose, often used when starting, changing, or stopping a psychiatric medication, to help manage response and side effects.
Trauma
Trauma refers to experiences that can overwhelm a person's ability to cope and may affect emotional, psychological, physical, or interpersonal functioning. Trauma-related concerns can be addressed through psychotherapy, and combined with medication management when appropriate.
Treatment Plan
A treatment plan describes a clinical approach developed around a person's concerns, history, needs, preferences, and goals and may include psychotherapy, medication, monitoring, or other support.
Treatment Response
Treatment response describes changes in symptoms, functioning, or well-being following a therapeutic intervention and is one factor clinicians consider when reviewing a treatment plan.
W
Wellness
Wellness broadly refers to physical, emotional, psychological, and social well-being rather than simply the absence of symptoms.
Working Diagnosis
A working diagnosis is a clinician's current understanding of a condition based on available information and may be refined as additional history, symptoms, or treatment response become clearer.