Lapse

A lapse is a temporary or limited return to a previous behavior after a person has begun changing or reducing that behavior. In behavior-change and relapse research, the term is useful because it separates a brief setback from a more sustained return to an earlier pattern .^1,2

The boundary between lapse and relapse depends on how a behavior is defined and measured. A lapse may be a single episode or a short period in which the previous behavior reappears, whereas relapse generally refers to a more prolonged or substantial return. The distinction is therefore partly temporal and partly based on severity, and researchers need clear operational definitions for the behavior being studied .¹

A lapse does not necessarily lead to relapse. Relapse-prevention models treat a lapse as a point at which different outcomes remain possible: the person may return to the desired behavior, or the lapse may develop into a more persistent pattern. This is one reason the terms should not be used interchangeably. Calling every setback a relapse can obscure meaningful differences in the course of behavior change and can make research findings harder to compare .^1,2