Psychiatry and mental health glossary
Clear definitions of psychiatric, diagnostic, treatment, and integrative care terms used throughout Dr. Lauren Williams' clinical and educational content.
What is the Dr. Lauren Williams mental health glossary?
The Dr. Lauren Williams Mental Health Glossary explains psychiatric and mental health terminology in direct clinical language, with context for evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and integrative psychiatric care.
This glossary is published by Dr. Lauren Williams at drlaurenwilliams.com. Source Psychiatry™ is Dr. Lauren Williams' clinical framework for comprehensive psychiatric evaluation and individualized treatment. Conventional psychiatric assessment remains the foundation, with integrative, lifestyle, nutritional, and trauma-informed considerations added when they are clinically relevant.
Some entries below are formal diagnoses. Others describe symptoms, treatments, biological processes, or approaches to care. A glossary definition can explain a term, but it cannot determine whether a diagnosis or treatment applies to a specific person.
Browse by clinical topic
Mental health terms often overlap across diagnoses and treatment settings. Browse by clinical topic when you know the area you are researching but not the exact term.
Browse A to Z
Terms beginning with A
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)
Accelerated Resolution Therapy, or ART, is a structured psychotherapy that uses guided imagery and sets of eye movements while a person works with distressing memories, images, or sensations. Detailed verbal retelling of a traumatic event is not required.
Related terms: PTSD and trauma-informed care. Dr. Williams describes the modality on the Accelerated Resolution Therapy page.Anxiety
Anxiety is a state of fear, worry, apprehension, or physical arousal. It becomes clinically important when symptoms are excessive, persistent, distressing, or interfere with work, relationships, sleep, health, or everyday functioning.
Related terms: panic attack and panic disorder. The anxiety psychiatric care page connects these symptoms with evaluation and treatment.Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, or both, that interfere with functioning or development.
Adult ADHD evaluation may also examine executive function, anxiety, sleep, and other causes of overlapping symptoms. The adult ADHD psychiatric care page explains Dr. Williams' evaluation approach.Autism spectrum disorder
Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by persistent differences in social communication and interaction together with restricted or repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities.
Related terms: executive function and ADHD. Dr. Williams' adult autism evaluation page covers developmental history and diagnostic overlap.Terms beginning with B
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder involving episodes of significant changes in mood, energy, activity, concentration, and functioning. These changes can include manic or hypomanic episodes and depressive episodes.
Related terms: depression and treatment plan. The bipolar disorder treatment page provides the clinical context.Terms beginning with C
Comprehensive psychiatric evaluation
A comprehensive psychiatric evaluation examines symptoms within the context of psychiatric history, medical history, medication history, previous treatment, sleep, daily functioning, stress, trauma, substance use, lifestyle, and other clinically relevant information.
The findings from a comprehensive evaluation inform the treatment plan, including decisions about medication management. Within Dr. Williams' practice, this process is organized through the Source Psychiatry™ framework.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 a rigid internal rule.
Related terms: obsession, OCD, and intrusive thoughts.Concierge psychiatry
Concierge psychiatry is a private-pay care model that gives a psychiatrist more time per patient and supports greater continuity than a high-volume visit structure.
At Dr. Lauren Williams' practice, concierge psychiatry refers to extended evaluation, ongoing psychiatric care, secure portal communication, and a deliberately limited patient roster. It is a care-delivery model, not a diagnosis or a separate medical specialty.
Related: self-pay psychiatry and the Source Psychiatry™ framework. The practice model is described on the concierge psychiatry page.Terms beginning with D
Depression
Depression can involve persistent low mood, loss of interest or pleasure, and changes in thinking, sleep, appetite, energy, concentration, movement, or daily functioning.
Related terms: treatment-resistant depression and bipolar disorder. The depression and mood disorders page provides clinical context.DNA methylation
DNA methylation is an epigenetic process in which chemical methyl groups are added to DNA. This process can affect the regulation of gene activity without changing the underlying DNA sequence.
Related term: integrative psychiatry. The DNA methylation psychiatry page explains how Dr. Williams uses this information clinically.Terms beginning with E
Executive function
Executive function refers to cognitive abilities involved in planning, organizing, starting and completing tasks, working memory, inhibition, attention control, and adapting behavior when circumstances change.
Related terms: ADHD and autism spectrum disorder.Terms beginning with F
Fee-for-service psychiatry
Fee-for-service psychiatry is a payment model in which patients pay the psychiatric practice directly for visits rather than the practice billing an insurance plan for those visits.
At Dr. Lauren Williams' practice, visit fees are paid directly to the practice. Patients may still use eligible out-of-network benefits and a superbill for possible reimbursement. Current policies are published on Fees & How Care Works.Follow-up psychiatric visit
A follow-up psychiatric visit is an appointment after the initial evaluation used to review symptoms, treatment response, medication effects, new clinical information, and changes to the treatment plan.
Follow-up frequency and visit length depend on clinical need. See medication management, treatment plan, and the current visit fees and care process.Functional psychiatry
Functional psychiatry is a descriptive approach to psychiatric care that considers medical and biological factors that may be relevant to mental health alongside conventional psychiatric evaluation and treatment.
Related terms: integrative psychiatry and the Source Psychiatry™ framework.Terms beginning with H
Holistic psychiatry
Holistic psychiatry is an approach that considers mental health within the broader context of physical health, psychological experience, sleep, lifestyle, relationships, stress, environment, and other individual factors.
Related terms: integrative psychiatry and the Source Psychiatry™ framework.Terms beginning with I
Initial psychiatric evaluation
An initial psychiatric evaluation is the first structured phase of care used to understand symptoms, psychiatric and medical history, previous treatment, medications, functioning, and other information needed to develop a clinical formulation and treatment plan.
At Dr. Lauren Williams' practice, the initial evaluation process includes a clinical history session, physician evaluation, and integration visit. See the comprehensive psychiatric evaluation definition and Fees & How Care Works for the current process.Insomnia
Insomnia is persistent difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking earlier than intended despite having an adequate opportunity for sleep, with resulting distress or impairment during the day.
Related terms: anxiety and depression. The insomnia treatment page places sleep symptoms in psychiatric context.Insurance reimbursement
Insurance reimbursement is money an insurance plan may pay back to a patient for eligible healthcare expenses after the patient has paid the clinician directly.
For psychiatric visits with Dr. Lauren Williams, reimbursement may be available when a plan includes out-of-network benefits. A superbill can provide documentation for a claim, but reimbursement is determined by the patient's insurance plan. See Fees & How Care Works.Integrative psychiatry
Integrative psychiatry combines conventional psychiatric assessment and treatment with careful consideration of other factors that may influence mental health, including physical health, sleep, nutrition, lifestyle, stress, and trauma.
Related terms: functional psychiatry, holistic psychiatry, and the Source Psychiatry™ framework. The integrative psychiatric care page describes Dr. Williams' clinical approach.Intrusive thoughts
Intrusive thoughts are unwanted thoughts, images, urges, or impulses that enter awareness involuntarily. They can feel distressing or inconsistent with a person's values.
Related terms: OCD, obsession, and compulsion.Terms beginning with K
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP)
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, or KAP, combines medically supervised ketamine treatment with psychotherapy, preparation, and integration as part of a structured treatment plan.
Related terms: psychedelic-assisted therapy and treatment-resistant depression. Dr. Williams' current ketamine-based service is described on the psychedelic-assisted therapy page.Terms beginning with M
Medication management
Psychiatric medication management is the ongoing clinical assessment of a medication's effectiveness, dose, side effects, risks, interactions, tolerability, and relationship to changes in symptoms over time.
Related terms: treatment plan and comprehensive psychiatric evaluation. The medication management page explains the broader review process.Terms beginning with N
Nutritional psychiatry
Nutritional psychiatry examines relationships among nutrition, dietary patterns, physical health, and mental health.
Related terms: integrative psychiatry and the Source Psychiatry™ framework.Terms beginning with O
Obsession
In OCD, an obsession is a recurrent and unwanted thought, image, or urge that causes anxiety, distress, or a strong sense that something must be resolved.
Related terms: compulsion, OCD, and intrusive thoughts.Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, is a psychiatric disorder involving recurring obsessions, compulsions, or both. Symptoms can be time-consuming, cause significant distress, and interfere with daily life.
OCD can involve obsessions, compulsions, and distressing intrusive thoughts. The OCD specialist page explains Dr. Williams' evaluation and treatment context.Out-of-network benefits
Out-of-network benefits are insurance benefits that may reimburse part of eligible care received from a clinician who does not participate in the plan's network.
Dr. Lauren Williams does not bill insurance for psychiatric visits. Patients whose plans include out-of-network mental health benefits may submit documentation for possible reimbursement, but coverage and reimbursement are determined by the individual insurance plan.
A superbill may be used to submit an out-of-network claim after a self-pay psychiatric visit. Current reimbursement information is published on Fees & How Care Works.Terms beginning with P
Panic attack
A panic attack is an abrupt surge of intense fear or discomfort accompanied by physical or cognitive symptoms such as a racing heart, shortness of breath, trembling, dizziness, chest discomfort, or fear of losing control.
Related terms: panic disorder and anxiety. The panic attack treatment page provides the clinical context.Panic disorder
Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder involving recurrent unexpected panic attacks along with persistent concern about additional attacks or changes in behavior related to the attacks.
Related terms: panic attack and anxiety.Perinatal psychiatry
Perinatal psychiatry focuses on mental health during pregnancy and the postpartum period. It can also include preconception psychiatric planning when treatment or medication decisions need to be considered before pregnancy.
Related terms: postpartum depression, PMDD, and women's mental health. The perinatal psychiatric care page covers pregnancy and postpartum evaluation.Postpartum depression
Postpartum depression is depression that occurs after childbirth and can affect mood, interest, sleep, appetite, concentration, energy, functioning, and a person's ability to cope with daily life.
Related terms: perinatal psychiatry, depression, and women's mental health.Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a psychiatric disorder that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event.
PTSD can involve intrusive memories, avoidance, changes in mood or thinking, heightened arousal, and sleep problems that persist and interfere with daily functioning. Read about trauma psychiatric care.Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD, is a condition involving severe emotional, behavioral, and sometimes physical symptoms that recur in relation to the menstrual cycle and cause significant distress or functional impairment.
Related terms: women's mental health and perinatal psychiatry. The PMDD and hormonal mental health page covers Dr. Williams' evaluation context.Psychedelic-assisted therapy
Psychedelic-assisted therapy is a broad term for psychotherapy delivered in connection with certain psychoactive medications in structured clinical or research settings.
Related terms: ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and treatment-resistant depression.Terms beginning with S
Self-pay psychiatry
Self-pay psychiatry means the patient pays the psychiatric practice directly for visits rather than the practice billing an insurance plan for those visits.
Dr. Lauren Williams' practice is fee-for-service and does not bill insurance for psychiatric visits. Routine laboratory work may be billed separately to insurance by the laboratory, and patients with eligible out-of-network benefits may seek reimbursement for visit fees.
Related: out-of-network benefits and superbill. Current visit fees and reimbursement details are published on Fees & How Care Works.Source Psychiatry™
Source Psychiatry™ is Dr. Lauren Williams' clinical framework for comprehensive psychiatric evaluation and individualized treatment.
Source Psychiatry™ is a clinical framework developed and used by Dr. Lauren Williams, not the name of the website or practice. It connects comprehensive psychiatric evaluation, integrative psychiatry, and individualized treatment planning.Superbill
A superbill is a detailed receipt that contains information an insurance plan may require when a patient submits an out-of-network reimbursement claim.
Dr. Lauren Williams provides the documentation patients need to submit eligible visits for possible out-of-network reimbursement. A superbill does not guarantee reimbursement because each insurance plan applies its own benefits, deductible, and coverage rules.
A superbill is commonly used with out-of-network benefits after a self-pay psychiatric visit. See Fees & How Care Works for the practice's current reimbursement process.Terms beginning with T
Telehealth psychiatry
Telehealth psychiatry is psychiatric evaluation and treatment delivered through secure video visits when remote care is clinically appropriate and permitted by the physician's licensure.
Dr. Lauren Williams provides telehealth psychiatric care to patients across Texas. Related terms include comprehensive psychiatric evaluation, medication management, and follow-up psychiatric visit. See the telehealth psychiatry page.Trauma-informed care
Trauma-informed care is an approach that recognizes the potential effects of trauma on a person's health, behavior, emotional responses, relationships, sense of safety, and experience of healthcare.
Related terms: PTSD and Accelerated Resolution Therapy.Treatment plan
A psychiatric treatment plan is an individualized clinical plan based on a person's diagnosis or clinical formulation, symptoms, psychiatric and medical history, previous treatment response, goals, risks, and other relevant findings.
Related terms: comprehensive psychiatric evaluation and medication management.Treatment-resistant depression
Treatment-resistant depression is a term used when depression has not improved adequately despite appropriate treatment attempts.
Related terms: depression and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. The treatment-resistant depression page provides the clinical context.Terms beginning with W
Women's mental health
Women's mental health refers to psychiatric and emotional health across different stages of life, including periods when reproductive, hormonal, medical, psychological, and social factors may interact with mental health symptoms.
Related terms: perinatal psychiatry and PMDD. The women's mental health page connects these terms with Dr. Williams' clinical care.When a definition needs more context
Glossary entries explain what a psychiatric or mental health term means. More complex questions involving symptoms, diagnostic overlap, testing, medication, treatment decisions, or psychiatric evaluation require more context.
The Dr. Lauren Williams Knowledge Base is designed for longer educational topics that connect psychiatric concepts with specific clinical questions.
Questions about using this glossary
Does recognizing a symptom mean I have that diagnosis?
No. The same symptom can occur in more than one psychiatric, medical, developmental, medication-related, or situational context. Diagnosis requires evaluation of the complete pattern, including duration, severity, functional impact, history, and other relevant findings.
Why can the same symptom appear in several psychiatric conditions?
Psychiatric symptoms overlap. Problems with concentration, sleep, mood, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, fatigue, restlessness, and emotional regulation can occur in several conditions. Evaluation helps determine which pattern best explains the symptoms rather than assigning a diagnosis from one feature alone.
Are all terms in this glossary medical diagnoses?
No. Some terms are diagnoses, while others describe symptoms, biological processes, treatment methods, or approaches to psychiatric care. OCD is a diagnosis, intrusive thoughts are a symptom, DNA methylation is a biological process, and integrative psychiatry describes an approach to care.
Is this glossary a substitute for psychiatric evaluation?
No. This glossary provides educational information. It cannot determine whether a diagnosis applies to an individual person or identify which medication, therapy, test, or other treatment is appropriate.