decompensation: Meaning and Definition of

de•com•pen•sa•tion

Pronunciation: (dē"kom-pun-sā'shun), [key]
— n. Med.
  1. the inability of a diseased heart to compensate for its defect.
  2. a loss of ability to maintain normal or appropriate psychological defenses, sometimes resulting in depression, anxiety, or delusions.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.