In
medicine
Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...
, decompensation is the functional deterioration of a structure or system that had been previously working with the help of compensation. Decompensation may occur due to
fatigue
Fatigue is a state of tiredness (which is not sleepiness), exhaustion or loss of energy. It is a signs and symptoms, symptom of any of various diseases; it is not a disease in itself.
Fatigue (in the medical sense) is sometimes associated wit ...
,
stress, illness, or old age. When a system is "compensated," it is able to function despite stressors or defects. Decompensation describes an inability to compensate for these deficiencies. It is a general term commonly used in medicine to describe a variety of situations.
Medical term
For example, ''cardiac decompensation'' may refer to the failure of the heart to maintain adequate blood
circulation, after long-standing (previously compensated)
vascular disease (see
heart failure
Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood.
Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...
). Short-term treatment of cardiac decompensation can be achieved through administration of
dobutamine
Dobutamine is a medication used in the treatment of cardiogenic shock (as a result of inadequate tissue perfusion) and severe heart failure. It may also be used in certain types of cardiac stress tests. It is given by IV only, as an injection ...
, resulting in an increase in
heart contractility via an
inotropic effect.
can also occur following a slow degradation of kidney function due to an underlying untreated illness; the symptoms of the latter can then become much more severe due to the lack of efficient compensation by the kidney.
Psychology
In
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
, the term refers to an individual's loss of healthy
defense mechanisms in response to
stress, resulting in personality disturbance or psychological imbalance.
References
External links
Heffner, C.L. (2001). Psychology 101.{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110303220344/http://allpsych.com/psychology101/defenses.html , date=3 March 2011
Psychoanalytic terminology
Medical terminology
Psychopathology
Psychiatry