Jargon Buster - Mental health Category

A type of mental health challenge that affects a person’s mood or feelings. The main examples are depression, bipolar disorder or anxiety, which may be mild or severe.

Categories

• Hospital
• Mental health

Mental health support provided to people after they leave hospital.

Under Section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983, the NHS and local councils have a duty to provide mental health after-care support for people who have been detained in hospital under certain sections of the 1983 Act.

The support must meet the needs arising from their mental health challenges and reduce the risk of the person requiring further hospital treatment for their mental health.

Categories

• Hospital
• Mental health

Someone with specialist training who can be called on to arrange for a person to have their mental health assessed, to decide whether they should be admitted to hospital for their own safety or the safety of others. The approved professional’s main job may be social worker, occupational therapist, community mental health nurse or psychologist.

Approved Mental Health Professionals are often referred to as AMHPs.

Categories

• Mental health
• Workforce

A specialist service that may be offered in the place where people live if they have severe mental health challenges that affect their ability to manage their daily life. The team is made up of highly experienced staff, who can help people cope with all aspects of daily living, such as shopping, cooking, cleaning, taking medicine, finding education or employment, or finding somewhere to live. People are usually referred to an Assertive Outreach Team by their community mental health team rather than their GP.

Categories

• Mental health

Care (education) and treatment reviews (C(E)TRs) are for people who have been admitted to a mental health hospital or for people who are at risk of admission. Their purpose is to make sure that people are only admitted to hospital when absolutely necessary and for the minimum amount of time possible.

Care and treatment reviews (CTRs) are for adults and care (education) and treatment reviews (CETRs) are for children and young people.

Care (education) and treatment reviews (C(E)TRs) are part of NHS England’s commitment to transforming services for people of all ages with a learning disability and autistic people.

Categories

• Disability
• Hospital
• Mental health

An approach to care planning for people with mental health challenges. It helps mental health services to understand people’s needs and work out how best to support them. The person will have regular contact with a care coordinator, who may be a social worker, community psychiatric nurse or occupational therapist. The coordinator will work with the person to write a ‘care plan’, which sets out what support the person will draw on, and who will provide the support.

Categories

• Mental health
• Ways of working

Specialist NHS services for children and young people up to the age of 18 who require some support with their mental health. A young person may be referred to their local CAMHS for depression, eating difficulties, anxiety, sleeping problems, violent and angry behaviour, and other things. They can be referred by a doctor or other health professional, or by school staff or a social worker.

Categories

• Care and support services
• Children and young people
• Mental health

A type of therapy that can help people by changing the way they think and act. It is often used to treat anxiety and depression and can help people think about how their thoughts, beliefs and attitudes may be affecting their feelings and behaviour.

People may see a therapist face-to-face or take a therapy course online.

Categories

• Mental health

A team of workers who support people with their mental health in their own home, rather than in hospital. The team may include psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers and occupational therapists. Their role is to organise and coordinate the person’s treatment, care and support.

Categories

• Health and health care
• Mental health

Also known as a ‘community mental health nurse’, this is a specialist nurse who works in communities rather than in hospital, with people who require support with their mental health. They are a key part of local community mental health teams.

Categories

• Mental health
• Workforce

When a person is made to go into hospital, for their own safety or the safety of others. This follows an assessment of their mental health.

It is also known as ‘being sectioned’ or ‘sectioning’. This refers to sections 2 and 3 of the Mental Health Act 1983.

Categories

• Hospital
• Law and legislation
• Mental health

Related Jargon

• Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP)
• Mental Health Act 1983
• Sectioning

A plan for where and how people can get mental health support in a crisis. The aim of the plan is to keep the person safe, help them to recover from the crisis, and avoid having to stay in hospital.

Categories

• Mental health

Categories

• Mental health

Related Jargon

• Accelerated access pathway

Services for people who require some support with their mental health, who are currently, or have been, involved in the criminal justice system. Services may be provided in a secure hospital or in the community.

Categories

• Mental health

Someone who is held in a mental health ward in hospital and is not allowed to leave – by law – for their own safety or the safety of others. This is sometimes described as being ‘sectioned’.

Categories

• Mental health
• People

Related Jargon

• Informal patient
• Mental Health Act 1983
• Sectioning

Under section 7 of the Mental Health Act 1983, people aged 16 and over with mental health challenges can be given a guardian to help them, if two doctors say this is needed to protect the person or other people.

A guardian could be the person’s local council, or someone else that the local council approves.

A guardian has legal powers to tell a person
– where they must live
– to attend appointments, work, training or education at agreed time and places
– to let a doctor or other named person see them.

Categories

• Mental health
• People

An NHS programme to support people with mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression.

Now usually referred to as ‘Talking Therapies’.

Categories

• Mental health

A service that should be offered to people if they are being treated in hospital or somewhere else under the Mental Health Act. Independent Mental Health Advocates are there to help people understand their legal rights, and to help make their views heard.

This is not the same as Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA), which is for people who are unable to make certain decisions and have no one to support or represent them. But there may be times when someone needs both an IMHA and an IMCA.

Categories

• Decision-making
• Mental health

Someone who is in a mental health ward in hospital who is there by choice and can leave if they wish. This is different to a formal patient, who does not have the freedom to leave.

Categories

• Hospital
• Mental health
• People

Related Jargon

• Informal patient

A law that tells people with mental health challenges what their rights are and how they can be treated and supported.

People can be detained in hospital under various sections of the Act. This is also known as ‘sectioning’.

Categories

• Law and legislation
• Mental health

Related Jargon

• Sectioning

Mental health support provided to people after they leave hospital.

Under Section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983, the NHS and local councils have a duty to provide mental health after-care support for people who have been detained in hospital under certain sections of the 1983 Act.

The support must meet the needs arising from their mental health challenges and reduce the risk of the person requiring further hospital treatment for their mental health.

Categories

• Law and legislation
• Mental health

Related Jargon

• Section 117

A legal term that is used in the Mental Health Act 1983 to refer to a single member of a person’s family who is given certain rights and responsibilities if they are kept in hospital (also known as being ‘sectioned’). It is not the same as ‘next of kin’ and may not necessarily be the person who has power of attorney (where this is in place). The law decides who a person’s nearest relative is, and although the person cannot choose who this is, it can sometimes be changed.

A person’s nearest relative can ask for a Mental Health Act assessment to decide if the person should be kept in hospital. They can also apply to discharge a person from the Mental Health Act.

Categories

• Law and legislation
• Mental health
• People

An approach used to support people with their mental health and help people to live their life in the way they want to. The person’s mental health challenges may not ever go away entirely, but this approach can help them to think about the strengths and abilities they have, and the changes they want to make in their life.

Categories

• Mental health
• Workforce

This refers to Section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983, which places a duty on the NHS and local councils to provide mental health after-care support for people who have been detained in hospital under certain sections of the 1983 Act.

Categories

• Law and legislation
• Mental health

Related Jargon

• Mental health after-care

Admitting someone to hospital for treatment, or keeping them there, if there are concerns about their mental health – even if they do not agree that they should be in hospital. It refers to various ‘sections’ of the Mental Health Act 1983 that explain how and why a person can be kept in hospital. People have the right to appeal, and to get help from an independent mental health advocate.

Categories

• Law and legislation
• Mental health

A hospital that provides care and treatment to people who are deemed to be a danger to themselves or others because of their mental health and who need to be prevented from leaving. Most people who stay in a secure hospital have committed a criminal offence while experiencing mental health challenges, or have required support with their mental health while in prison, and cannot be safely supported anywhere else. There are three main categories of secure hospital: high, medium and low secure.

Categories

• Hospital
• Mental health

Talking therapy for people together in families, for people of all ages facing a wide range of situations. Therapists or therapist teams look at family members’ beliefs about each other and at how they talk and listen to each other. From this they help the family to make changes in their lives so that the problems they are facing can be resolved.

Categories

• Mental health

Related Jargon

• Talking therapies

Help for people with mental health challenges like anxiety and depression.

Talking therapies include cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), counselling, other therapies and guided self-help.

GPs can refer people to NHS talking therapies services, or people can refer themselves.

Categories

• Mental health

A plan that a person creates and shares with other people to help them recover from mental health challenges and stay well. It focuses on helping people to manage their mental health and remain in control if they have a crisis. It also helps people to think about what they need to stay well, and to spot the early signs of challenges to their mental health.

Categories

• Care and support planning
• Mental health