Psych/Pain Med Terms

akathisia

Inability to sit still

akinesia

A lack of body movement

algesi/o

Sensitivity to pain

algia

Pain

allodynia

Pain due to a stimulus that does not normally provoke pain.

amnesia

Loss of memory

analgesia

Absence of or relief from pain

anesthesia

Producing a loss of sensation, including pain

anorexia

An eating disorder characterized by a lack or loss of appetite

antispasmodic

Preventing or relieving sudden muscle contracting

arthralgia

Joint pain

arthritis

Inflammation of joints

avolition

A total lack of motivation

bulimia

An eating disorder characterized by distorted body image, and a cycle of overeating followed by purging

cataplexy

A sudden, temporary loss of muscle control and an inability to move while the person is awake, often triggered by strong emotions such as laughing, crying, or fear

delirium

An acute change in mental status characterized by incoherent thoughts and speech, disorientation, agitation, hallucinations, delusions, and/or paranoia

delusion

A false or irrational belief based on an incorrect interpretation of reality

dementia

memory loss and difficulty with thinking, problem-solving and language that interferes with daily life

-dynia

Pain

dys-

Painful, difficult, abnormal

dysesthesia

An abnormal or painful sensation

euphoria

A feeling of happiness; elevated mood

H/A

headache

hallucination

A distortion of reality whereby a person hears, sees or feels something that is not there

hyperalgesia

Increased pain from a stimulus that normally provokes pain.

neuralgia

Pain in the distribution of a nerve or nerves.

neuropathic pain

Pain caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system.

neuropathy

A disturbance of function or pathological change in a nerve: in one nerve, mononeuropathy; in several nerves, mononeuropathy multiplex; if diffuse and bilateral, polyneuropathy.

nociceptive pain

Pain that arises from actual or threatened damage to non-neural tissue and is due to the activation of nociceptors.

nociceptor

A high-threshold sensory receptor of the peripheral somatosensory nervous system that is capable of transducing and encoding noxious stimuli.

noxious stimulus

An actually or potentially tissue-damaging event transduced and encoded by nociceptors

pain

An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage.

parasomnia

Unusual, odd, or dangerous behavior occuring during sleep

peripheral neuropathy

Peripheral weakness, numbness, and pain from nerve damage

rigidity

Stiffness or an inability to bend

rigor

A sudden feeling of cold with shivering accompanied by a rise in temperature

somnambulism

Sleepwalking

tardive dyskinesia

Uncontrollable, involuntary, repetitive movements of the face (most common) and other body parts