anorexia nervosa A serious eating disorder in which a person restricts his or her food intake.
assessment An evaluation, usually performed by a doctor, of a person’s mental, emotional, and social capabilities.
assimilation The process by which a minority group gradually adapts to the customs of the larger culture.
bipolar A mental disorder that involves episodes of mania and depression.
chronic Lasting a long period of time.
clinical depression A state of depression so severe as to require treatment.
cluster suicides Two or more suicides that happen around the same time or in the same way; also called copycat suicides.
depression The condition of feeling sad and hopeless.
disempower To take away someone’s control of a situation.
hotline A call center In which professionals trained to help with a problem answer phone lines.
pessimism A tendency to dwell on the negative.
prevalent Commonly occurring.
psychiatry The branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental and emotional disorders.
stigma An unfair feeling of disapproval that causes shame.
suicide The act of intentionally taking one’s own life.
suicide rate The percentage of people in a specific group who take their own lives in a certain duration of time.
warning signs Specific observable behaviors, actions, and circumstances of an individual in crisis. These symptoms may indicate that the individual is at risk of suicide.