AIIMS Rishikesh & Jodhpur NO - 2017
Mental Health Nursing
Easy

A person thinks that people are planning to kill or harm him / her, is a type of?

Appeared in: AIIMS Rishikesh & Jodhpur NO - 2017

Explanation

  • Delusion of persecution is characterized by the central theme of being attacked, harassed, cheated, persecuted, or conspired against.
  • The question describes a person's belief that others are planning to kill or harm them, which directly aligns with the definition of a persecutory delusion.
  • This type of delusion is one of the most common in psychotic disorders like schizophrenia.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

  • Option B: An idea of reference is the false belief that random events, objects, or the behavior of others have a direct and personal significance. For example, believing a news report is specifically about them. This is different from the belief of being actively harmed.
  • Option C: 'Idea of suspect' is not a standard or formal term used in psychiatry to classify a type of delusion. It is a distractor.
  • Option D: A delusion of grandeur is a belief in one's own exaggerated importance, power, knowledge, or identity. For instance, believing one is a deity or a famous celebrity. This is contrary to the feeling of being a victim, as seen in persecutory delusions.

Related Visual

Visual explanation — Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
  • Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Identification of specific types of delusions in psychiatric nursing as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
  • Nurses must prioritize safety for patients with persecutory delusions. This includes assessing for any plans the patient may have to 'defend' themselves, which could pose a risk to others or themselves.
  • Building a therapeutic alliance is critical. A nurse should acknowledge the patient's fear and distress without confirming the reality of the delusion. Phrases like, 'That sounds very frightening for you,' can show empathy without collusion.
  • What if the patient's belief was not fixed and they could consider that their fears might be imagined? This would be classified as an 'overvalued idea' rather than a delusion, and the therapeutic approach might focus more on cognitive-behavioral techniques to challenge the thought patterns.
How to Approach the Question
  • First, identify the core theme of the belief described in the question stem. Here, the theme is fear of being harmed or killed.
  • Next, review the definitions of the delusion types provided in the options.
  • Match the theme from the stem to the correct definition. The belief that people are planning to harm you is the definition of a delusion of persecution.
  • Eliminate the other options by recalling their definitions. Grandeur is about being great, reference is about neutral events having personal meaning, and 'idea of suspect' is not a formal term.
Concept Tested & Keywords
  • Concept Tested: Identification of specific types of delusions in psychiatric nursing.
  • Stem keywords: thinks, people are planning, kill or harm
  • Lead-in keywords: is a type of
  • Clinical cues: The core belief described is a fear of being harmed or killed by others, which is a key feature of a specific delusion type.

Question ID

Qlrhj7C_6V1uHBd0UlXsal

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. 4723-4725, 3807-3809

E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 1118-1120

Practise the full AIIMS Rishikesh & Jodhpur NO - 2017

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.

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