Medical disclaimer
Shrinktionary is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice. It is not a substitute for individualized psychiatric or medical care.
Reading content on Shrinktionary, including any entry, category page, or linked resource, does not establish a physician-patient or clinician-patient relationship with Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, FAPA, with shrinkMD, or with any other clinician or entity in The Shrink Network.
Decisions about mental health treatment should be made in consultation with a licensed mental health professional who has evaluated your individual situation.
If you're in crisis or feel unsafe, call or text 988 (the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the United States), call 911, or go to the nearest emergency department. Shrinktionary is not for emergencies.
If you have questions about a medication, dosage, or interaction, consult your prescriber or pharmacist directly. Information on this site reflects current general understanding and may not apply to your specific clinical situation.
What Shrinktionary is for
Shrinktionary exists to translate the language of mental health into plain English. It can help you understand a word you heard in an appointment, on a form, or from someone you care about, and it can help you ask better questions. That's a real and useful purpose, and it's the only one we claim. Understanding a term is not the same as knowing whether it applies to you, and only a clinician who can evaluate your situation can tell you that.
Individual situations vary
Two people can have the same symptom for very different reasons, and the same diagnosis can call for different treatment depending on history, other conditions, and personal circumstances. Nothing here is tailored to you. General educational information can't account for the specifics that change a clinical picture, which is exactly why a personal evaluation matters.
About linked resources
Shrinktionary links to other sites in The Shrink Network and to outside authorities like the National Institute of Mental Health, the FDA, and MedlinePlus. We link to these because they're useful, but we don't control external sites and aren't responsible for their content. Following a link, here or elsewhere, doesn't create a clinical relationship with anyone.
No guarantees
We work hard to keep entries accurate and current, and they're reviewed by a board certified psychiatrist. Even so, we can't guarantee that every entry is complete or up to date at the moment you read it, and we update content as evidence changes. Use this site as a starting point for understanding, not as the final word on your care.
If this is an emergency
Shrinktionary is not built for emergencies, and it can't respond to one. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, thinking about suicide, or unable to stay safe, don't wait. In the United States, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency department. If you're outside the United States, contact your local emergency number or a local crisis line. Getting a real person involved is always the right call, and it's never an overreaction.
Outside the United States
Much of the clinical and regulatory information here, including medication labeling and crisis numbers, reflects United States sources and practice. Names, approvals, and available services differ from country to country. If you're elsewhere, treat this site as general background and rely on guidance and resources local to where you are.