NIMHANS Nursing Officer - 2019
Mental Health Nursing
Easy

Delusion of grandeur is seen in?

Appeared in: NIMHANS Nursing Officer - 2019

Explanation

  • Delusion of grandeur is a false belief in one's own superiority, greatness, or power.
  • This type of delusion is a hallmark symptom of mania, which is characterized by an abnormally elevated or expansive mood and inflated self-esteem.
  • According to Kaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry, delusions occur in 75% of manic patients, and mood-congruent delusions are often concerned with great wealth, extraordinary abilities, or power.
  • The inflated self-concept and expansive thinking during a manic episode directly contribute to the formation of these grandiose beliefs.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

  • Option B: Patients with depression typically experience mood-congruent delusions that are negative in nature, such as delusions of guilt, poverty, or nihilism.
  • Option C: While delusions can be present in dementia, they are usually simple, persecutory, or involve misidentification, not grandiosity.
  • Option D: 'Delusion' is the name of the symptom itself, not a clinical diagnosis in which the symptom appears. This makes it a logically incorrect choice.

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 Association of specific types of delusions with psychiatric disorders as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
  • Identifying the specific content of a patient's delusion is a critical nursing assessment skill that aids in the differential diagnosis of psychiatric disorders.
  • Patients with delusions of grandeur may engage in risky behaviors (e.g., reckless spending, dangerous activities) based on their false beliefs, posing a significant safety risk to themselves and others. Nursing care must prioritize safety and reality orientation.
  • What if? If a patient presented with the belief that their internal organs were rotting, this would be a somatic and nihilistic delusion, pointing towards severe depression (potentially with psychotic features) rather than mania.
How to Approach the Question
  • First, define the key term in the question: 'Delusion of grandeur' is a belief of being extremely important, powerful, or wealthy.
  • Next, consider the core features of each option. Mania is defined by elevated mood and inflated self-esteem.
  • Depression is characterized by low mood and feelings of worthlessness.
  • Dementia involves cognitive decline.
  • 'Delusion' is a symptom, not a disorder.
  • Match the definition of delusion of grandeur with the characteristics of the disorders. The inflated self-esteem of mania is the most logical fit for grandiose beliefs.
Concept Tested & Keywords
  • Concept Tested: Association of specific types of delusions with psychiatric disorders.
  • Stem keywords: Delusion of grandeur
  • Lead-in keywords: seen in
  • Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

QhnxeJOVE2MCvh9EKdXDVB

Reference Book

E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 1173-1175

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) pp. 5394-5396, 13421-13423

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