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AIIMS Rishikesh NO - 2019
Mental Health Nursing
Easy

Delusion is a?

Appeared in: AIIMS Rishikesh NO - 2019

Explanation

  • Delusion is classified as a thought disorder, specifically a disorder of thought content.
  • It is defined as a false, fixed belief that is firmly held despite clear evidence to the contrary and is not part of the person's cultural or religious beliefs.
  • Psychotic disorders are primarily considered thought disorders, and delusions are one of the most obvious examples.
  • Unlike a perception disorder, which involves sensory experiences like hallucinations, a delusion is a disturbance in the person's belief system and thinking process.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

  • Option A: A perception disorder involves a disturbance in interpreting sensory input. The classic example is a hallucination, which is a sensory experience (e.g., hearing voices, seeing things) in the absence of an external stimulus.
  • Option B: A sleep disorder is a condition that disrupts normal sleep patterns. Examples include insomnia (difficulty sleeping), sleep apnea (breathing interruptions during sleep), and narcolepsy (excessive daytime sleepiness).
  • Option C: A sexual disorder involves a disturbance in a person's sexual response cycle or pain associated with intercourse. It also includes paraphilias, which are recurrent, intense, sexually arousing fantasies, urges, or behaviors involving unusual objects or activities.

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 Classification of Delusion as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
  • Recognizing delusions is a critical nursing skill for assessing psychosis in conditions like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and severe depression.
  • A nurse's priority is to maintain patient safety, as delusions can sometimes lead to unpredictable or harmful behavior (e.g., a persecutory delusion may cause a patient to refuse food).
  • Therapeutic communication involves focusing on the feelings associated with the delusion and presenting reality gently, rather than directly confronting or arguing with the belief.
How to Approach the Question
  • First, identify the keyword in the stem: 'Delusion'.
  • Recall the definition of a delusion. It is a false, fixed 'belief'.
  • Recognize that beliefs are a component of 'thought'.
  • Analyze the options, which are different categories of mental disorders.
  • Eliminate the other options by comparing their definitions to that of a delusion. A perception disorder relates to senses (e.g., hallucinations), a sleep disorder relates to rest, and a sexual disorder relates to sexual function.
  • Conclude that a delusion, being a disorder of belief, correctly fits into the category of a thought disorder.
Concept Tested & Keywords
  • Concept Tested: Classification of Delusion
  • Stem keywords: Delusion
  • Lead-in keywords: is a

Question ID

Qy86OvDhfHVG83696ZRG5T

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. 3249-3251, 3802-3804

E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 1092-1094

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