I noticed the other day while writing my progress notes that we tend to use alot of terminology that non mental health staff are not familiar with. A few examples that I can think of off the top of my head are:
Pt is visable in milieu
Word salad
thought blocking
responding to internal stimuli (usually written just "responding")
Pt denies SI/HI/AH
anhedonia
quiet room
contracting for safety
AECPS
tangential
flight of ideas
hypomanic
If anyone can think of anything else to add, please feel free.
I work with a nurse who was once on the phone with a doctor and said "I think the pt is experiencing retarded dyskinesia." AMAAAZING!
Keep in mind that the word "retarded" doesn't always refer to developmental issues (like they used to say "mentally retarded" in the past to refer to someone who was developmentally disabled--that use of the word isn't considered appropriate anymore).
The word can also refer to something being delayed or slowed. In this case, he may have been referring to a delayed reaction.
On the east coast we usually assessed for SI/HI (suicidal ideation/homicidal ideation), but in AZ we assess for DTS/DTO (danger to self/danger to others).
We learnt that terminology in nursing college, however I think a lot of it goes away when people work in med/surg etc. I remember learning about "Word salad" and thought it was a funny word. Then I saw it in action when doing a psych rotation and thought that was the most apt word for what I saw in that poor man.
Sin Eater - my favorite, which is not a clinical term...someone once called me it, as we absorb all of these patients' stories about awful pasts filled with horrible things day after day after day. Takes a lot of strength and shows a lot of character.
chevyv, BSN, RN
1,679 Posts
4 points
chapter 51
owp
polydipsic (really, never heard or worked with pts that have polydipsia before psych)