Question

a patients chart states that the patient was having delusions. which behavior/symptom seen by the nurse would support this conclusion?

the patient feels like he is going crazy on the inside.
the patient thinks that the fbi is going to have him killed.
the patient hears a voice telling him he should kill himself.
the patient thinks a tree outside his window is a man with a gun.

Explanation:

Define delusion and analyze options

A delusion is a fixed, false belief that is not grounded in reality and cannot be corrected by logical reasoning.

• "The patient feels like he is going crazy on the inside" is a subjective feeling of distress or anxiety.
• "The patient thinks that the FBI is going to have him killed" represents a persecutory delusion (a fixed, false belief).
• "The patient hears a voice telling him he should kill himself" is an auditory hallucination (a sensory perception without an external stimulus).
• "The patient thinks a tree outside his window is a man with a gun" is an illusion (a misinterpretation of a real external sensory stimulus).

Identify the supporting behavior

The belief that the FBI is planning to kill the patient is a classic persecutory delusion, which directly supports the chart's statement.

Answer:

• (A) The patient feels like he is going crazy on the inside.
• (B) The patient thinks that the FBI is going to have him killed. (Correct answer)
• (C) The patient hears a voice telling him he should kill himself.
• (D) The patient thinks a tree outside his window is a man with a gun.