alogia An impoverishment in thinking that is inferred from observing speech and lan- guage behavior. There may be brief and concrete replies to questions and restriction in the amount of spontaneous speech (termed poverty of speech). Sometimes the speech is adequate in amount but conveys little information because it is overconcrete, overab— stract, repetitive, or stereotyped (termed poverty of content).
amnesia An inability to recall important autobiographical information that is inconsis- tent with ordinary forgetting.
anhedonia Lack of enjoyment from, engagement in, or energy for life’s experiences; def- icits in the capacity to feel pleasure and take interest in things. Anhedonia is a facet of the broad personality trait domain DETACHMENT.
anosognosia A condition in which a person with an illness seems unaware of the exis- tence of his or her illness.
antagonism Behaviors that put an individual at odds with other people, such as an ex- aggerated sense of self—importance with a concomitant expectation of Special treat— ment, as well as a callous antipathy toward others, encompassing both unawareness of others’ needs and feelings, and a readiness to use others in the service of self-enhance- ment. Antagonism is one of the five broad PERSONALITY TRAIT DOMAINS defined in Sec- tion 111 ”Alternative DSM-S Model for Personality Disorders.”
SMALL CAPS indicate term found elsewhere in this glossary. Glossary definitions were informed by
DSM-5 Work Groups, publicly available Internet sources, and previously published glossaries for mental disorders (World Health Organization and American Psychiatric Association).
818 Glossary of Technical Terms antidepressant discontinuation syndrome A set of symptoms that can occur after abrupt cessation, or marked reduction in dose, of an antidepressant medication that had been taken continuously for at least 1 month.
anxiety The apprehensive anticipation of future danger or misfortune accompanied by a feeling of worry, distress, and / or somatic symptoms of tension. The focus of antici- pated danger may be internal or external.
anxiousness Feelings of nervousness or tenseness in reaction to diverse situations; frequent worry about the negative effects of past unpleasant experiences and future negative possi- bilities; feeling fearful and apprehensive about uncertainty; expecting the worst to happen.
Anxiousness is a facet of the broad personality trait domain N EGATIVE AFFECI'IVITY.
arousal The physiological and psychological state of being awake or reactive to stimuli.
asociality A reduced initiative for interacting with other people.
attention The ability to focus in a sustained manner on a particular stimulus or activity.
finishing tasks or in concentrating on work.
attention seeking Engaging in behavior designed to attract notice and to make oneself the focus of others’ attention and admiration. Attention seeking is a facet of the broad personality trait domain ANTAGONISM.
autogynephilia Sexual arousal of a natal male associated with the idea or image of being a woman.
avoidance The act of keeping away from stress-related circumstances; a tendency to cir- cumvent cues, activities, and situations that remind the individual of a stressful event experienced.
avolition An inability to initiate and persist in goal-directed activities. When severe enough to be considered pathological, avolition is pervasive and prevents the person from com- pleting many different types of activities (e.g., work, intellectual pursuits, self-care).
bereavement The state of having lost through death someone with whom one has had a close relationship. This state includes a range of grief and mourning responses.
biological rhythms See CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS.
callousness Lack of concern for the feelings or problems of others; lack of guilt or re- morse about the negative or harmful effects of one’s actions on others. Callousness is a facet of the broad personality trait domain ANTAGONISM.
catalepsy Passive induction of a posture held against gravity. Compare with WAXY FLEX-
IBILITY.