NIMHANS Nursing Officer - 2021
Mental Health Nursing
Easy

Which delusions are common in Mania?

Appeared in: NIMHANS Nursing Officer - 2021

Explanation

  • Delusions of grandiosity are a classic and common feature of the manic phase of bipolar disorder.
  • These delusions are characterized by an inflated sense of self-importance, power, knowledge, or having a special relationship with a deity or a famous person.
  • The content of the delusion is consistent with the elevated, expansive, or irritable mood seen in mania, making it a 'mood-congruent' symptom.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

  • Option A: Delusions of jealousy, while they can occur in various psychiatric conditions, are not a primary or common feature of mania. They involve the unfounded belief that a partner is unfaithful.
  • Option C: Somatic delusions involve false beliefs about one's body, such as having a disease. This is not characteristic of a manic state.
  • Option D: Erotomanic delusions involve the belief that someone, usually of a higher social status, is in love with the individual. This is not a typical feature of mania.

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 Psychiatric Nursing: Symptomatology of Mania as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
  • A nurse caring for a patient with grandiose delusions must prioritize safety. The patient's impaired judgment can lead to reckless behaviors (e.g., excessive spending, dangerous activities).
  • Nursing interventions include providing a calm, low-stimulus environment, setting firm and consistent limits, and avoiding direct confrontation or arguing about the delusion, which can escalate agitation. Instead, focus on the underlying feelings and redirect the patient to reality-based activities.
  • What if? If a patient with bipolar disorder presented with delusions of guilt and poverty instead of grandiosity, the nurse should suspect the patient is in a severe depressive episode, not a manic one. The treatment focus would shift from managing hyperactivity to suicide risk assessment and antidepressant therapies.
How to Approach the Question
  • First, identify the key terms in the question: 'delusions' and 'Mania'.
  • Recall the core symptoms of a manic episode, which include elevated mood, increased energy, and often, psychotic symptoms.
  • Consider the concept of 'mood-congruent' psychosis, where the content of the delusion matches the mood state.
  • Evaluate each option: A delusion of grandiosity (inflated self-worth) is consistent with an elevated, expansive mood (mania).
  • Differentiate this from other delusion types. Jealous, somatic, and erotomanic delusions have different themes and are typically associated with other specific psychiatric disorders, not primarily mania.
Concept Tested & Keywords
  • Concept Tested: Psychiatric Nursing: Symptomatology of Mania
  • Stem keywords: delusions, mania
  • Lead-in keywords: which
  • Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

QIsoimAHF3k88x5cDhF4up

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. 5266-5268

E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 1118-1120

Practise the full NIMHANS Nursing Officer - 2021

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