ISRO 2024
Mental Health Nursing
Easy
The disorder that affects the mental and cognitive functions in older persons is called?
Appeared in: ISRO 2024
Explanation
- Dementia is the correct term for a syndrome characterized by a progressive and generally irreversible decline in intellectual and cognitive functions.
- It primarily affects memory, thinking, orientation, comprehension, calculation, learning capacity, language, and judgment.
- The impairment in cognitive function is commonly accompanied, and occasionally preceded, by deterioration in emotional control, social behavior, or motivation.
- It is an umbrella term that covers various specific medical conditions, including Alzheimer's disease, which is the most common cause.
- According to psychiatric texts, dementia is a more common cause of disability in adults over 65 than any condition except arthritis (SRC_24751).
Why Other Options Were Wrong
- Option A: Insomnia is a sleep disorder, not a primary cognitive disorder. It involves difficulty with sleep initiation, duration, consolidation, or quality.
- Option B: Paranoia is a thought process involving irrational suspicion and distrust of others. It is a psychotic symptom, not a global cognitive disorder.
- Option D: Aphasia is a specific disorder of language, affecting the ability to speak, write, and understand spoken or written language. It does not encompass the broad range of cognitive deficits seen in dementia.
Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
- Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Cognitive disorders in the elderly as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
- Nurses play a vital role in assessing cognitive changes in older adults. Using screening tools like the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) or the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a key nursing responsibility.
- Differentiating between dementia, delirium, and depression is critical because delirium is often a medical emergency caused by an underlying issue (like infection or medication) and is frequently reversible with treatment.
- Patient safety is a primary concern for individuals with dementia. Nursing interventions include creating a safe environment to prevent falls, managing wandering behavior, and ensuring adequate nutrition and hydration.
How to Approach the Question
- First, analyze the question stem to identify the core concept. The question asks for a disorder affecting 'mental and cognitive functions' in 'older persons'.
- Second, define the keywords. 'Cognitive functions' refers to a broad range of mental processes like memory, thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving.
- Third, evaluate each option against this definition.
- Insomnia is a sleep disorder. Eliminate it.
- Paranoia is a specific thought disturbance (delusion), not a global cognitive decline. Eliminate it.
- Aphasia is a specific language disorder. Eliminate it.
Concept Tested & Keywords
- Concept Tested: Cognitive disorders in the elderly
- Stem keywords: disorder, mental functions, cognitive functions, older persons
- Lead-in keywords: is called
Question ID
QYQQalJypJn1O5VsBuFh5j
Reference Book
E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) pp. 2529-2531, 2530-2532
E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 4071-4073
Practise the full ISRO 2024
Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.
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