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RUHS, Jaipur, M.Sc Nursing Entrance Exam-2021
Psychiatric Nursing
Easy

Pseudo dementia is commonly seen in?

Appeared in: RUHS, Jaipur, M.Sc Nursing Entrance Exam-2021

Explanation

  • Pseudodementia refers to cognitive impairments that mimic true dementia but are actually caused by an underlying functional psychiatric disorder.
  • The most common cause of pseudodementia is Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).
  • Unlike true dementia, the cognitive deficits in pseudodementia are often reversible with appropriate treatment of the underlying depression.
  • Patients with pseudodementia often complain vocally about their memory loss and appear distressed by it, whereas patients with true dementia may be unaware or try to hide their deficits.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

  • Option B: This disorder involves neurological symptoms (like paralysis or blindness) without an organic cause, rather than the global cognitive decline seen in dementia.
  • Option C: Mania is characterized by elevated mood, hyperactivity, and flight of ideas. While distractibility can affect concentration, it does not produce the consistent memory loss pattern of dementia.
  • Option D: While severe anxiety can cause poor concentration and forgetfulness due to worry, it does not typically present as a profound, global dementia-like syndrome.

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 Pseudodementia and its association with depression as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
  • A key nursing responsibility is to differentiate between pseudodementia and true dementia because pseudodementia is treatable and the cognitive symptoms can be reversed.
  • Nurses should advocate for and use screening tools like the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) for older adults who present with sudden cognitive changes or memory complaints.
  • What if? If a patient's cognitive symptoms persist despite adequate treatment for depression, it may indicate a co-existing or underlying neurocognitive disorder, requiring further neurological workup.
How to Approach the Question
  • Analyze the question to identify the key term: 'Pseudodementia'.
  • Recall the definition of pseudodementia. The prefix 'pseudo-' means 'false,' so it's a condition that looks like dementia but isn't.
  • Consider the underlying cause. Pseudodementia is a syndrome where cognitive deficits are secondary to a psychiatric illness.
  • Evaluate the given options, which are all psychiatric conditions.
  • Access your knowledge base to determine which of these conditions is most famously associated with causing dementia-like symptoms. Depression is the classic cause.
  • Select 'Depression' as the most common cause of pseudodementia.
Concept Tested & Keywords
  • Concept Tested: Pseudodementia and its association with depression.
  • Stem keywords: Pseudo dementia
  • Lead-in keywords: commonly seen in
  • Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

Qf2XYDS5h1quxwpZ6qgq3P

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. 13421-13423

E6 Comprehensive Textbook of Community Health Nursing for BSc Nursing Students Part 2 — Subpart B (pp 276-535 of 550) p. 89-91

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