A patient who keeps repeating a new words, is demonstrating?

Appeared in: HPSSSB Staff Nurse - 2016

Explanation

The correct option is Stereotype, which is defined as the persistent, mechanical repetition of speech (verbigeration) or motor activities.
The question's verb, "keeps repeating," describes a repetitive, purposeless behavior, which is the hallmark of stereotypy.
While the object of repetition is a "new word" (a neologism), the action being demonstrated and asked about is the repetition itself.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

Option A: Neologism is the act of coining a new, meaningless word. The question describes the repetition of such a word, not its initial creation.
Option B: Circumstantiality is a disorder of thought process characterized by indirect speech filled with excessive, irrelevant detail, though the person eventually returns to the main point.
Option D: Senility is an obsolete, non-specific lay term for dementia or cognitive decline in old age. It is not a formal psychiatric diagnosis or a specific symptom.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Disorders of thought process and speech in psychiatric nursing to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
Accurate identification and documentation of a patient's speech patterns are crucial components of the Mental Status Examination (MSE).
Specific speech abnormalities like stereotypy and neologisms can be key diagnostic indicators for psychotic disorders, particularly schizophrenia.
What if? If the patient was repeating the last words of the nurse's question, the correct answer would be Echolalia, which is the pathological imitation of another person's speech.

How to Approach the Question

First, analyze the question to identify the core action being described. The verb in the sentence is "keeps repeating."
Next, identify the object of the action, which is "a new words."
Evaluate the options based on their precise psychiatric definitions. Match the core action from the question to the definition.
Recognize that 'Neologism' refers to the object (the new word), while 'Stereotype' refers to the action (the repetition).
Since the question asks what the patient is 'demonstrating' through their action, choose the term that defines the action itself.
Eliminate options that are clearly incorrect, such as 'Circumstantiality' (a different type of thought disorder) and 'Senility' (an outdated, non-specific term).

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Disorders of thought process and speech in psychiatric nursing.
Stem keywords: patient, repeating, new words
Lead-in keywords: demonstrating
Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

Qot5jI76ZtWjv0wPi5TRns

Reference Book

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) pp. 3795-3797, 15410-15412

E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 50-52

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