AIIMS Rishikesh NO - 2019
Mental Health Nursing
Easy
Psychomotor activity changes in anxiety?
Appeared in: AIIMS Rishikesh NO - 2019
Explanation
- Anxiety activates the sympathetic nervous system ('fight or flight' response), leading to a state of high emotional arousal and increased physical energy.
- This physiological hyperarousal directly translates to increased psychomotor activity.
- Common manifestations include restlessness, agitation, fidgeting, pacing, and hand-wringing, which are all forms of increased physical movement.
Why Other Options Were Wrong
- Option B: Decreased psychomotor activity, known as psychomotor retardation, is a classic sign of major depressive disorder, not anxiety.
- Option C: This refers to rapid and unstable shifts in mood and emotional expression. It is a disturbance of affect, not a change in physical motor activity.
- Option D: Decreased emotional lability, such as a blunted or flat affect, is not characteristic of anxiety. It is more commonly associated with conditions like schizophrenia or severe depression.
Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
- Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Psychomotor symptoms of anxiety disorders as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
- Observing a patient's psychomotor activity is a fundamental part of the Mental Status Examination (MSE). A sudden increase can signal escalating anxiety or agitation, requiring prompt nursing intervention to ensure patient and staff safety.
- It is crucial for nurses to differentiate anxiety-induced agitation from other potential causes like delirium, substance withdrawal, or psychosis, as the underlying cause dictates the appropriate management strategy.
- What if? If a patient presents with increased psychomotor activity but also has a fever and confusion, the nurse should suspect an organic cause like delirium (e.g., from an infection) rather than a primary anxiety disorder, and prioritize medical evaluation.
How to Approach the Question
- First, identify the key terms in the question: 'psychomotor activity' and 'anxiety'.
- Recall the basic pathophysiology of anxiety: it is a state of hyperarousal and activation of the 'fight or flight' response.
- Logically connect this high-energy state to physical movement. A state of hyperarousal would lead to increased, not decreased, activity.
- Next, evaluate the other options. 'Emotional lability' pertains to mood and affect, not physical movement. This distinction makes options C and D incorrect because they don't address the 'psychomotor' component of the question.
- Based on this reasoning, select the option that aligns with the physiological state of anxiety, which is increased activity.
Concept Tested & Keywords
- Concept Tested: Psychomotor symptoms of anxiety disorders.
- Stem keywords: Psychomotor activity, anxiety
- Lead-in keywords: BEST, MOST RELEVANT CLUE
Question ID
QGWke9_qNIALYmbYXoBWyR
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. 3896-3898, 13713-13715, 2344-2346
Practise the full AIIMS Rishikesh NO - 2019
Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.
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