RIMS Nursing Officer - 2022
Psychiatric Nursing
Easy
Psychomotor activity belongs to which component of mental status examination?
Appeared in: RIMS Nursing Officer - 2022
Explanation
- The 'Behaviour' component of the Mental Status Examination (MSE) involves observing the patient's actions and motor functions during the assessment.
- Psychomotor activity specifically refers to the quantity and quality of a patient's movements, which are a direct reflection of their behaviour.
- Examples include psychomotor retardation (slowed movements common in depression), psychomotor agitation (restlessness seen in mania), tics, tremors, and catatonic features.
- Therefore, psychomotor activity is correctly classified under Behaviour, as it describes how the patient is acting.
Why Other Options Were Wrong
- Option A: Appearance refers to the patient's physical presentation, such as their clothing, hygiene, and grooming. It describes how they look, not how they move or act.
- Option C: Attitude describes the patient's interpersonal stance and interaction with the examiner. It is about their level of cooperation or hostility, not their physical movements.
- Option D: Level of consciousness refers to the patient's state of arousal and awareness, ranging from fully alert to comatose. It does not describe the nature or speed of their movements.
Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
- Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Components of the Mental Status Examination (MSE) as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
- Accurate assessment of psychomotor activity is vital for differential diagnosis. For example, psychomotor retardation is a core feature of major depression, while agitation is characteristic of manic episodes.
- Changes in psychomotor activity can be an early indicator of treatment response or adverse medication effects, such as akathisia (a state of agitation and restlessness) from antipsychotics.
- What if? A patient on an antipsychotic medication begins to show increased pacing and an inability to sit still. If this is mistaken for worsening psychosis-related agitation, the dose might be incorrectly increased. Recognizing it as potential akathisia (a psychomotor side effect) would lead to a different intervention, such as reducing the dose or adding a medication to treat the side effect.
How to Approach the Question
- First, identify the key term in the question: 'psychomotor activity'.
- Define this term in the context of a clinical assessment. It refers to physical movements that stem from a person's mental state.
- Recall the standard components of a Mental Status Examination (MSE), which typically include categories like Appearance, Behaviour, Speech, Mood, etc.
- Systematically evaluate each option. Ask yourself, 'Does psychomotor activity describe how someone looks (Appearance), how they act (Behaviour), their disposition towards me (Attitude), or their level of alertness (Level of consciousness)?'
- Conclude that observing actions and movements like agitation, retardation, or tics falls squarely under the category of 'Behaviour'.
Concept Tested & Keywords
- Concept Tested: Components of the Mental Status Examination (MSE)
- Stem keywords: Psychomotor activity, mental status examination, component
- Lead-in keywords: belongs to
Question ID
Qx7SnwjDuBGDM7GjgjsLO0
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. 3293-3295
E6 Guide to Mental Health & PSYCHIATRIC NURSING R Sreevani— Part 2 (pp 290-564 of 579) p. 187-189
E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 47-49
Practise the full RIMS Nursing Officer - 2022
Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.
More Mental Health Assesment Questions
- A nurse enters the room of a patient with a cognitive impairment disorder and asks what day of the week it is; what the date, month and year are; and…
- A scale that cannot be used to assess a subject for a mood disorder is:
- What clinical presentation should be assessed in a mentally unhealthy patient who is prone to suicide?
- While assessing the patient nurse asks the patient, "if a house were on fire, what would you do?" Which one of the following is being assessed by the…
- As per the gazetted guidelines for assessment of persons with disability, which tool is used to assess mentaldisability for purpose of certification?
- Highest level of insight is?
- Highest level of insight is?
- A patient is admitted in the psychiatry unit. The nurse asks their name, location, the current date, and the current year. The nurse is assessing for?
- Highest level of insight is?
- The systematic evaluation of behavior, emotion and cognitive functions of an individual is known as \ \
More RIMS Nursing Officer - 2022 Questions
- What is the role of a scrub nurse in an operation theatre?
- Records that relate to an agency's financial transactions, such as budget, are called?
- Which of the following is NOT an advantage of an intake and output chart?
- Which of the following chest physiotherapy devices is used to provide information about the patient's inspiratory effort by measuring the air flow (F…
- Which of the following is called the main microtubule organizing centre (MTOC) in animal cells?
- The proximal connection of metatarsal bones and tarsal bones make up the tarsometatarsal joint complex commonly referred to as?
- Which of the following is NOT included in a liver function test?
- Which of the following diabetic complications is called the atherosclerotic occlusive disease of lower extremity?
- Sporulation occurs at which stage of bacterial growth curve?
- Which type of hypersensitivity reaction causes good pasture syndrome?