Glossary

An unintimidating list of terminology

Not knowing a lot of the lingo around PNDA made my postpartum experience feel a little more intimidating (seriously, there are SO many acronyms!) so I created this list because I want to take away some of this intimidation for you.

I believe that words hold so much power and I hope that this list empowers the conversations between you and your care team, and helps you understand some of the stories shared on the podcast.

Rebecca x

A black arrow drawn with a marker, pointing downward.

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

    A form of psychological therapy / psychotherapy

  • A crisis state, severe distress associated with the onset, or symptoms of, a psychiatric illness; develops suddenly and lasts a short time

  • Against medical advice

  • Anxiety causing (often used in reference to medication)

  • Anxiety reducing (often used in reference to medication)

  • Borderline Personality Disorder

  • Crisis assessment and treatment team

  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

    A form of psychological therapy / psychotherapy

  • A type of condition that develops or worsens gradually

  • The presence of one or more additional medical conditions alongside a primary medical condition

  • Dialectical Behaviour Therapy

    A form of psychological therapy / psychotherapy

  • Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

    A handbook published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) although not all mental health professionals refer or use this

    You may also see this referred to as DSM-5 or DSM-V (this is because the fifth edition is the most current)

  • Electroconvulsive Therapy

    A brain stimulating therapy using electric currents

  • Thoughts and behaviours viewed to be inconsistent, or in conflict, with the ego and a person’s self-image

    (Typically used to refer to intrusive thoughts and OCD)

  • Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing

    A form of structured therapy which involves moving your eyes a specific way to reprocess traumatic memories

    Read our guide to EMDR for parents recovering from birth trauma and PTSD

  • Exposure and Response Prevention

    A form of psychotherapy that involves confronting a situation which triggers fear (exposure) and refraining from performing compulsive rituals (response prevention)

  • Generalised Anxiety Disorder

  • Hospital in the Home

  • Imagery Rescripting

    A form of therapy designed to rescript traumatic experiences to reduce the associated distress of these memories

  • Involuntary treatment order

    This may also be referred to as an involuntary patient order (IPO) or a community treatment order

  • Mother and Baby Unit

    A specialist in-patient unit where the mother and baby are admitted together. The relationship between the mother and infant is supported at the same time the mother receives treatment for her mental illness

  • Major Depressive Disorder

  • Nurse unit manager

  • Observations

  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

  • Occupational therapist

  • Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre

  • Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Services

  • Progressive muscle relaxation

  • pro re nata (literal translation: “as the circumstance arises”)

    Prescription medication that is taken as needed, unscheduled

  • Post-traumatic stress disorder

    In the perinatal space, PTSD may also be referred to as P-PTSD (Postpartum PTSD) or PTSD-FC (PTSD Following Childbirth)

  • Serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors

    A type of antidepressant medication

  • Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

    A type of antidepressant medication

  • Tricyclic antidepressants

    A type of antidepressant medication

  • The process of adjusting the medication dose over time to suit the needs of the individual patient for the maximum, effective benefit without adverse side effects

  • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

    A brain stimulating therapy using a magnetic coil

  • The pathological fear of childbirth and/or pregnancy

  • Unwanted intrusive thought(s)