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.

• Option 1 describes a subjective feeling of distress.
• Option 2 describes a fixed, false belief of persecution (persecutory delusion).
• Option 3 describes an auditory hallucination (sensory perception without external stimulus).
• Option 4 describes an illusion (misinterpretation of a real external sensory stimulus).

Identify the correct behavior

The belief that the FBI is going to have him killed is a classic persecutory delusion, which directly supports the chart's statement.

Answer:

• The patient feels like he is going crazy on the inside.
• The patient thinks that the FBI is going to have him killed. (Correct answer)
• 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.