the words, in plain language.
clinical terms get used a lot on this site. here’s what they actually mean — short, accurate, no jargon for jargon’s sake.
Amygdala
the brain's threat detector.
A small almond-shaped structure deep in each temporal lobe. Fires before the conscious mind can evaluate whether something is dangerous. Central to fear, anxiety, panic, and trauma responses.
Catastrophizing
the brain assuming the worst case is the real case.
A cognitive pattern where the mind treats unlikely worst-case outcomes as expected ones. Common in anxiety disorders. Not a moral failing — a wired-in feature of threat-detection brains running too hot.
Central sensitization
the spinal cord and brain amplifying ordinary signals into pain.
A change in the central nervous system in which neurons become hypersensitive, so that normal touch, pressure, or movement registers as pain. The mechanism behind fibromyalgia, much of chronic pain, and overlapping conditions like IBS and chronic migraine.
see also: fibromyalgia, chronic pain, migraine
Comorbidity
two conditions co-occurring more than chance would predict.
Many invisible conditions cluster — ADHD with anxiety, autism with OCD, fibromyalgia with ME/CFS, depression with insomnia. Comorbidity does not mean one causes the other; it usually means shared biological or social risk factors.
DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy)
a structured therapy that teaches emotion regulation skills.
Developed by Marsha Linehan, originally for borderline personality disorder, now used for many emotion-regulation conditions. Combines individual therapy, skills group, phone coaching, and a therapist consultation team. The skills (mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness) are the active ingredient.
Dissociation
the mind partially leaving its current experience.
A spectrum from mild (highway hypnosis, daydreaming) to severe (depersonalization, derealization, dissociative amnesia). Often a protective response to overwhelm or trauma. Not the same as psychosis.
see also: dissociation, ptsd, panic
Executive function
the brain's command center for planning, starting, and stopping.
An umbrella for working memory, cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, planning, time perception, and task initiation. Disruption of executive function is the core deficit in ADHD and a major feature of depression, autism, and post-concussive states.
see also: adhd, depression, autism
Hypomania
elevated mood and energy that is real, sustained, and observable.
A distinct period (4+ days) of elevated, expansive, or irritable mood plus measurable changes in sleep need, speech, activity, and judgment. Often feels like 'finally normal' from inside, but is a defined illness state. Defining feature of bipolar II.
see also: bipolar ii
Masking
performing a more socially-acceptable version of yourself.
Suppressing natural responses (stimming, looking away, going quiet) to fit social expectations. Common in autism and ADHD; carries a measurable cost in fatigue, identity loss, and burnout. Sometimes called camouflaging.
PEM (Post-Exertional Malaise)
a delayed crash after exertion that is the physical opposite of normal tiredness.
Worsening of symptoms 12–48 hours after physical, mental, or emotional effort, lasting days to weeks. The defining feature of ME/CFS. Two-day exercise tests show measurable physiological abnormalities not seen in deconditioning or depression.
see also: me cfs, fibromyalgia
POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)
the heart rate jumping when you stand up.
A form of dysautonomia: heart rate rises 30+ bpm (40+ in adolescents) within ten minutes of standing, with symptoms (lightheadedness, fatigue, brain fog, headache). Common after viral illness; massively overrepresented in Long Covid and ME/CFS populations.
Prefrontal cortex
the part of the brain that thinks before acting.
The frontmost region of the brain, behind the forehead. Handles planning, restraint, judgment, and overriding impulses. Goes offline first under stress, fatigue, hunger, and high emotion — which is why those states make you 'not yourself.'
RSD (Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria)
ordinary criticism landing as overwhelming pain.
A clinical term for the extreme emotional response to perceived rejection or criticism seen in many adults with ADHD. Not in the DSM as a stand-alone diagnosis; best understood as part of ADHD emotional dysregulation. Responds to ADHD treatment.
SSRI / SNRI
the most common families of antidepressant.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (fluoxetine, sertraline, escitalopram, etc.) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (duloxetine, venlafaxine). Used for depression, anxiety, OCD, panic, PTSD, fibromyalgia, and more. Take 4–8 weeks to fully work.
see also: depression, anxiety, ocd
Tripwire
in this site: a phrase that activates crisis resources automatically.
Patterns that the AI companion is trained to recognize as crisis signals. When a tripwire matches, the system surfaces emergency resources verbatim and switches to its highest-care model. Designed to fail safely, not silently.
Vagus nerve
the body's calm-down nerve.
Tenth cranial nerve. Activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which lowers heart rate, deepens breathing, and signals safety. Many evidence-based anxiety techniques (slow exhales, cold water on face, humming, singing) work by activating this nerve.