IGNOU PB. Bsc. Nsg. Entrance-2025
Mental Health Nursing
Easy
Persecutory delusions is commonly seen in :
Appeared in: IGNOU PB. Bsc. Nsg. Entrance-2025
Explanation
- Persecutory delusions are fixed, false beliefs that one is being harmed, harassed, or plotted against.
- These delusions are a hallmark and the most common type of delusion found in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, particularly the paranoid subtype.
- Research indicates that up to 80% of inpatients with schizophrenia experience persecutory delusions, making it a defining feature of the illness.
Why Other Options Were Wrong
- Option B: This disorder is characterized by obsessions (intrusive thoughts) and compulsions (repetitive behaviors), not fixed, false beliefs (delusions). Patients with OCD typically have insight and recognize their thoughts are irrational.
- Option C: While psychosis can occur in bipolar disorder, the delusions are typically mood-congruent. Manic episodes are associated with grandiose delusions, and depressive episodes with delusions of guilt or worthlessness.
- Option D: A phobia is an intense and irrational fear of a specific object or situation. A key difference is that the individual with a phobia has insight and knows their fear is excessive, unlike a person with a delusion.
Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
- Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Core symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
- A nurse's primary responsibility when caring for a patient with persecutory delusions is to ensure the safety of the patient and others, as the patient may act out of fear.
- Building a therapeutic, trusting relationship is crucial, but this does not mean validating or agreeing with the delusion. Focus on the feelings the delusion evokes (e.g., 'That must feel very frightening').
- What if? If a patient's persecutory delusions are accompanied by command hallucinations telling them to harm someone, this constitutes a psychiatric emergency. The priority shifts from therapeutic communication to immediate safety protocols, including potential one-to-one observation or seclusion to prevent harm.
How to Approach the Question
- First, define the key term in the question stem: 'Persecutory delusions' are a specific type of psychosis involving a strong, false belief of being targeted for harm.
- Next, consider the classic presentation of each disorder listed in the options.
- Recall that paranoid schizophrenia is defined by prominent delusions and hallucinations, with persecution being the most common delusional theme.
- Differentiate this from obsessive-compulsive disorder, which involves obsessions and compulsions, not delusions.
- Distinguish it from bipolar disorder, where delusions are typically tied to mood state (e.g., grandiosity in mania).
- Contrast it with phobias, which are irrational fears where the person has insight that the fear is excessive.
Concept Tested & Keywords
- Concept Tested: Core symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia
- Stem keywords: Persecutory delusions, commonly seen
- Lead-in keywords: BEST, MOST RELEVANT CLUE
- Negative lead-in flag: false
Question ID
Q6IQBKwtecXbEB9Yykkv3Z
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. 3803-3805, 4722-4724, 4723-4725
Practise the full IGNOU PB. Bsc. Nsg. Entrance-2025
Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.
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