decompensation
Americannoun
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Medicine/Medical. the inability of a diseased heart to compensate for its defect.
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Psychology. a loss of ability to maintain normal or appropriate psychological defenses, sometimes resulting in depression, anxiety, or delusions.
noun
Etymology
Origin of decompensation
First recorded in 1900–05; de- + compensation
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In one use-of-force incident in 2017, a man on mental health decompensation watch banged his tray against the window of a medical observation unit, the report says.
From Seattle Times
Medical science now knows that many people living with long-term conditions such as heart, lung and liver diseases are tipped into decompensation and death by the coronavirus.
From Washington Post
This experience taught me that my son’s medical care for schizophrenic decompensation is not a priority call.
From Seattle Times
“Insomnia can be one of the first signs of decompensation in bipolar disorder. But if you feel your insomnia is caused by stress or jet lag or something else that’s temporary, you may not need to see a provider, but make some behavioral changes.”
From Seattle Times
“But what we’re ultimately worried about is heart decompensation and dangerous arrhythmias.”
From Scientific American
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.