The deterioration of existing defenses, leading to an exacerbation of pathological behavior.
In psychology, ego or personality disorganization under excessive stress.
A condition in which an organ such as the heart cannot cope with extra stress placed on it and so is unable to perform its function properly.
Process of deterioration from a healthier to a less healthy state; often used in reference to chronic congestive heart failure when the patient is no longer able to maintain normal cardiac function, despite medications and restriction of activity. Persons with severely decompensated heart failure may require heart transplantation to survive.
Failure of the heart to maintain adequate circulation, or failure of other organs to work properly during stress or illness.
The incapacity of an organ to fulfill the body’s demands characterizes the loss of its functional ability. The term “decompensation” is typically employed to depict the declining function of an organ that has been gradually impaired by disease. For instance, if the heart undergoes decompensation, it becomes incapable of sustaining a proper circulation.
The term “decompensation” can also be applied to mental illnesses, such as depression, where an individual may experience a loss of their typical compensatory mechanisms—strategies used to compensate for perceived deficiencies—and undergo sudden deterioration.
Breakdown in regulatory mechanisms, often referring to malfunction of the heart and circulatory system.