🩺 Nursing Question of the Day
Challenge yourself with one exam-style nursing question every day.
✅ Think carefully • ✅ Choose your answer • ✅ Then scroll down to check the explanation.
📝 Today’s Question:
A disorder of thought in which patient has a false and fixed belief that members of his family are trying to kill him is…….
👆 Comment your answer and the tap an option to check your answer.
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🧠 Delusion of Persecution
B. Delusion of grandeur
C. Nihilistic disorder
D. Delusion of guilt
✅ Answer: (A) Delusion of persecution
📖 Explanation
A delusion is a false, firmly held belief that persists despite clear evidence that it is not true. The person is convinced that the belief is real and usually cannot be corrected through logical reasoning.
In this question, the patient has a fixed belief that family members are trying to kill him. He believes that other people are planning to harm, attack, poison, or persecute him.
Therefore, this is a classic example of a delusion of persecution.
Family trying to kill him → Delusion of persecution
🔍 Understanding the Term
The word “persecution” means being subjected to hostility, harassment, or harm by others. In psychiatry, a persecutory delusion occurs when a person falsely believes that someone is trying to harm, threaten, follow, spy on, or conspire against them.
❌ Why Are the Other Options Wrong?
A. Delusion of persecution ✅
The patient believes that family members are trying to kill or harm him. This is exactly a persecutory delusion.
B. Delusion of grandeur ❌
This involves a false belief that the person is extremely powerful, important, wealthy, famous, or specially gifted.
Example: “I am the most powerful person in the world.”
C. Nihilistic disorder ❌
Nihilistic delusions involve beliefs that oneself, one’s body, organs, or the world does not exist or that something has been destroyed or is dead.
Example: “My organs have disappeared.”
D. Delusion of guilt ❌
The patient has an excessive and false belief that they have committed a terrible sin, crime, or caused some disaster.
Example: “My family became sick because I am a bad person.”
📊 Quick Comparison
| Type | Typical Belief |
|---|---|
| Persecution | “Someone wants to harm me.” |
| Grandeur | “I am extremely powerful.” |
| Nihilistic | “I or my organs do not exist.” |
| Guilt | “I caused something terrible.” |
PERSECUTION = “PEOPLE are after me!”
If the patient believes others are trying to harm, kill, spy on, or persecute them → think Delusion of persecution.
📌 Exam Tip: A false + fixed + unshakable belief is a delusion. If the belief involves being harmed or targeted by others, the answer is usually delusion of persecution.
Concept clarity • Easy recall • Nursing success
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