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AIIMS Bhatinda NO - 2019
Psychiatric Nursing
Easy

False sensory perception in the absence of real external stimuli is called?

Appeared in: AIIMS Bhatinda NO - 2019

Explanation

  • A hallucination is defined as a perception that occurs without a corresponding external sensory stimulus.
  • This phenomenon can manifest in any sensory modality, including auditory (hearing voices), visual (seeing things that aren't there), olfactory (smelling odors), gustatory (tasting things), and tactile (feeling sensations on the skin).
  • The experience feels real to the person, even though it is not based on external reality.
  • It is fundamentally different from an illusion, which is a distortion of a real stimulus.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

  • Option A: An illusion is a misinterpretation or distortion of a real sensory stimulus. The question specifies the 'absence' of a real stimulus.
  • Option C: Depersonalization is a disturbance in self-perception, where a person feels detached from their own mind or body. It is not a sensory perception of the external world.
  • Option D: A delusion is a disorder of thought content, specifically a false, fixed belief that is held firmly despite evidence to the contrary. It is a disturbance of belief, not perception.

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 Definitions of Psychiatric Symptoms as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
  • Accurate identification of hallucinations is a critical nursing skill in mental health, as it is a hallmark symptom of psychotic disorders like schizophrenia and can also occur in severe depression, mania, delirium, and substance withdrawal.
  • Patient safety is a primary concern. Command hallucinations (voices instructing the patient to harm themselves or others) are a psychiatric emergency requiring immediate intervention and one-to-one observation.
  • What if? If the patient reported hearing voices only while falling asleep, this would be classified as a hypnagogic hallucination, which can be a normal phenomenon or a symptom of narcolepsy, and is not typically indicative of psychosis.
How to Approach the Question
  • This is a factual recall question that tests your knowledge of core psychiatric definitions.
  • First, analyze the key phrases in the question stem: 'false sensory perception' and 'absence of real external stimuli'.
  • The term 'sensory perception' helps narrow the choices to phenomena involving the senses, like illusions and hallucinations.
  • The phrase 'absence of real external stimuli' is the crucial differentiator. This is the textbook definition of a hallucination.
  • Evaluate the other options: An illusion involves a 'real' stimulus that is misinterpreted. A delusion is a 'belief', not a perception. Depersonalization is a feeling of detachment from 'self', not an external sensory event.
  • By matching the definition in the stem to the correct term, you can confidently select the right answer.
Concept Tested & Keywords
  • Concept Tested: Definitions of Psychiatric Symptoms
  • Stem keywords: False sensory perception, absence of real external stimuli
  • Lead-in keywords: is called

Question ID

QXndSzTp18KYca_Lraq2q4

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. 3815-3817, 3250-3252, 3251-3253

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