Irresistible impulse test: A legal test for insanity that holds people to be insane at the time they committed a crime if they were driven to do so by an uncontrollable “fit of passion.”

Stress-reduction and problem-solving seminar: A workshop or series of group sessions offered by a business in which mental health professionals teach employees how to cope with and solve problems and reduce stress.

Malpractice suit: A lawsuit charging a therapist with improper conduct or decision making in the course of treatment.

Not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI): A verdict stating that defendants are not guilty of committing a crime because they were insane at the time of the crime.

Peer review system: A system by which clinicians paid by an insurance company may periodically review a patient’s progress and recommend the continuation or termination of insurance benefits.

Civil commitment: A legal process by which an individual can be forced to undergo mental health treatment.

Code of ethics: A body of principles and rules for ethical behavior, designed to guide decisions and actions by members of a profession.

American Law Institute test: A legal test for insanity that holds people to be insane at the time of committing a crime if, because of a mental disorder, they did not know right from wrong or could not resist an uncontrollable impulse to act.

Managed care program: A system of health care coverage in which the insurance company largely controls the nature, scope, and cost of medical or psychological services.

Right to treatment: The legal right of patients, particularly those who are involuntarily committed, to receive adequate treatment.

Mental incompetence: A state of mental instability that leaves defendants unable to understand the legal charges and proceedings they are facing and unable to prepare an adequate defense with their attorney.

Duty to protect: The principle that therapists must break confidentiality in order to protect a person who may be the intended victim of a client.

Guilty but mentally ill: A verdict stating that defendants are guilty of committing a crime but are also suffering from a mental illness that should be treated during their imprisonment.

M’Naghten test: A widely used legal test for insanity that holds people to be insane at the time they committed a crime if, because of a mental disorder, they did not know the nature of the act or did not know right from wrong. Also known as the M’Naghten rule.

Employee assistance program: A mental health program offered by a business to its employees.

Forensic psychology: The branch of psychology concerned with intersections between psychological practice and research and the judicial system. Also related to the field of forensic psychiatry.

Criminal commitment: A legal process by which people accused of a crime are instead judged mentally unstable and sent to a mental health facility for treatment.

Confidentiality: The principle that certain professionals will not divulge the information they obtain from a client.

Durham test: A legal test for insanity that holds people to be insane at the time they committed a crime if their act was the result of a mental disorder or defect.

Right to refuse treatment: The legal right of patients to refuse certain forms of treatment.