Question

the nurse is caring for a patient who reports hearing a voice telling her, \you are horrible and i hope you die.\ how should the nurse document this assessment finding in the patients chart?

the patient is having an illusion.
the patient is concretely thinking.
the patient is having auditory hallucinations.
the patient is having a delusion of persecution.

Explanation:

Analyze the patient's reported symptom

The patient reports hearing a voice telling her, "You are horrible and I hope you die." This represents a sensory perception (hearing a voice) in the absence of any external physical stimulus.

Differentiate psychiatric terms

• Illusion: A misinterpretation of a real external sensory stimulus (e.g., mistaking a shadow for a person).
• Concrete thinking: Thinking focused on immediate, physical facts rather than abstract concepts.
• Auditory hallucination: Hearing voices or sounds when no external sound is present.
• Delusion of persecution: A false, fixed belief that one is being harassed, harmed, or conspired against, which is a thought content issue rather than a sensory perception.

Select the correct documentation finding

Hearing a non-existent voice directly constitutes an auditory hallucination. Therefore, the nurse should document this finding as an auditory hallucination.

Answer:

• (A) The patient is having an illusion.
• (B) The patient is concretely thinking.</mcq-correct>
• (C) The patient is having auditory hallucinations. (Correct answer)

<mcq-option>(D) The patient is having a delusion of persecution.