Glossary

The awareness of being a person separate and distinct from all others.

A false perception due to misinterpretation of stimuli. For example, a person may misinterpret the conversation of others as the voices of enemies conspiring to destroy him or her.

A degree of mental illness such that the affected person is not responsible for his/her actions or is not capable of entering into a legal contract. This term is used in legal rather than medical contexts.

A term which relates to the person’s recognition or lack of recognition that he/she has a mental illness.

Syndrome occurring to hospitalised clients, characterised by a loss of identity as a person, seeing oneself instead as a patient with total dependence on external sources of reinforcement, pleasure and affirmation. The person loses community living skills and feels uncomfortable in environments other than the institution.

Initial contact by clinical staff with a person referred to a mental health service. It involves the collection of information to assess the appropriateness of referral and enables a person to be directed to the most appropriate service response within or outside the mental health service.

Integration refers to the process whereby a mental health service becomes coordinated as a single specialist network and includes mechanisms which link intake and assessment and continuing treatment and case management to ensure continuity of care.

A disability caused by significantly sub-average general intellectual functioning that is accompanied by limitations in functioning in at least two (2) of the following skills areas: communication, self-care, home living, social/interpersonal skills, use of community resources, self-direction, etc.