Persistently repeating the same word or idea in response to different questions is termed as?

Appeared in: Daman & Diu Staff Nurse - 2018

Explanation

Perseveration is the involuntary and pathological repetition of a single response, such as a word, phrase, or gesture, despite the absence or cessation of the stimulus.
It is a disorder of the thought process, specifically affecting the continuity of thought.
This symptom indicates cognitive inflexibility, or the inability to shift from one concept to another.
It is commonly associated with brain injury (especially to the frontal lobes), dementia, schizophrenia, and other organic mental disorders.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

Option A: Tangentiality involves a disturbance where the person wanders off-topic and never returns to the original question. It is about deviating from the point, not repeating it.
Option B: Word salad refers to a jumble of words and phrases that are incoherent and lack any logical connection, making speech unintelligible. It is a more severe thought disorganization than simple repetition.
Option D: Mutism is the complete absence of speech. The person is unable or unwilling to speak. This is different from repeating words, which is a form of speech.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Disorders of thought process in psychiatric nursing as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Recognizing perseveration is a critical nursing assessment skill, as it can be an early sign of cognitive decline, neurological damage (e.g., from a stroke or tumor), or a worsening psychotic process.
When a nurse identifies perseveration, it is important to document the specific instances and report them, as this finding can influence the medical diagnosis and treatment plan.
Nursing interventions for a patient with perseveration include using clear, simple, and direct questions, avoiding open-ended questions that may be confusing, and gently redirecting the patient to a new topic or activity to break the repetitive cycle.

How to Approach the Question

First, analyze the keywords in the question stem: "persistently repeating," "same word or idea," and "different questions."
This points to a specific type of communication abnormality where a response is 'stuck.'
Next, evaluate each option based on its precise definition in psychiatry.
Tangentiality is about going off-topic.
Word salad is about incoherent, jumbled speech.
Perseveration is about getting stuck on and repeating a response.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Disorders of thought process in psychiatric nursing.
Stem keywords: persistently repeating, same word, same idea, different questions
Lead-in keywords: termed as
Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

QDJE1xjV9RCQk13wjmpF8b

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) p. 3795-3797

E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 50-52

Practise the full Daman & Diu Staff Nurse - 2018

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

Attempt this paper Attempt in the NPrep app