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

Visual hallucinations are seen in?

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

Explanation

  • Visual hallucinations are a hallmark feature of delirium, which is an acute organic psychosis.
  • Delirium involves a disturbance in consciousness and attention, which is not a primary feature of schizophrenia.
  • The hallucinations in delirium are often vivid, complex, and can be frightening to the patient.
  • Causes of delirium include infections, metabolic disturbances, and substance withdrawal, all of which can trigger visual disturbances.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

  • Option A: Residual schizophrenia is a subtype characterized by the predominance of negative symptoms (e.g., emotional blunting, social withdrawal) after an acute episode. Active positive symptoms like hallucinations are minimal or absent.
  • Option B: Simple schizophrenia is a less common and somewhat controversial diagnosis characterized by the insidious development of negative symptoms without any history of prominent psychotic episodes (like hallucinations or delusions).
  • Option D: While temporal lobe epilepsy can cause hallucinations, they are most classically olfactory (smell) or gustatory (taste), often serving as a seizure aura. Visual hallucinations are more characteristic of occipital lobe epilepsy.

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 Types of hallucinations and their associated psychiatric and neurological disorders as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
  • A nurse's primary responsibility for a patient experiencing visual hallucinations is to ensure safety, as the patient may react to their visions and be at risk for falls or injury.
  • It is crucial to differentiate between delirium and psychosis. Delirium is a medical emergency requiring identification and treatment of the underlying cause, whereas psychosis from schizophrenia requires psychiatric management.
  • Nursing interventions include frequent reorientation, maintaining a well-lit and calm environment to minimize misinterpretations of stimuli, and providing reassurance.
How to Approach the Question
  • First, identify the key term in the question: 'Visual hallucinations'.
  • Recall the classic presentations of the disorders listed in the options.
  • Associate different types of hallucinations with specific conditions. Visual hallucinations are strongly linked to organic brain disorders.
  • Evaluate each option: Schizophrenia is primarily linked to auditory hallucinations. Temporal lobe epilepsy is linked to olfactory/gustatory auras.
  • Recognize that delirium is an acute organic condition where visual hallucinations are a hallmark symptom.
  • Conclude that delirium is the best fit among the choices provided.
Concept Tested & Keywords
  • Concept Tested: Types of hallucinations and their associated psychiatric and neurological disorders.
  • Stem keywords: Visual hallucinations
  • Lead-in keywords: BEST, MOST RELEVANT CLUE
  • Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

QRWpERKTCpOPfLSLZZppeJ

Reference Book

E6 Medicine Davidson Principles Practice 24e p. 1217-1219

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 3820-3822

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