The nurse assesses a client with schizophrenia who appears to be demonstrating neologisms in their speech. Which of the following would be the expected finding?
The nurse assesses a client with schizophrenia who appears to be demonstrating neologisms in their speech. Which of the following would be the expected finding?
A. Words that rhyme or have a similar beginning sound
[15%]
B. Reduction in speech; short-worded replies
[5%]
C. Words or phrases with meaning only for the client
[72%]
D. Going off on tangents and never reaching the point
[8%]
Statistics
Subject/Lesson
Subject
Mental Health
Lesson
Mental Health
Client Need
Test Plan
Psychosocial Integrity
Related Topic
Sensory/Perceptual Alterations
Item Type
Item Type
Knowledge/Comprehension
Explanation
Choice C is correct. A neologism is when a client invents words or phrases that only have meaning for themselves. This is a positive symptom associated with schizophrenia.
Choice A is incorrect. Words that rhyme or have a similar beginning sound are a clang association (example - 'She went to the bar, and saw some tar').
Choice B is incorrect. A reduction of speech with short-worded replies is alogia (poverty of speech). This is a negative symptom associated with schizophrenia.
Choice D is incorrect. Going off on tangents and never reaching the point is the classic definition of tangentially.
Related Videos
2 Key Topics
Schizophrenia
32.3 Major Psychiatric Disorders
Additional Info
✓ Schizophrenia symptoms are divided into positive or negative symptoms.
Positive symptoms include things that add something to the client. They include:
- Hallucinations: Experiences involving the apparent perception of something not present.
- They can include any five senses: touch, taste, smell, sight, or hearing.
- Auditory hallucinations, when the client hears something that is not present, are common in schizophrenia.
- Delusions: Fixed, false beliefs that conflict with reality.
- Types of delusions include persecution, grandeur, and jealousy
- Thought and speech disorganization
Negative symptoms are things that take something away from the client. They include:
- Apathy: A lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern.
- Alogia: Also known as 'poverty of speech,' alogia is difficulty with speaking or the tendency to speak little due to brain impairment.
- Anhedonia: The inability to feel pleasure.
- Avolition: A total lack of motivation that makes it hard to get anything done
- Flattened affect
✓ Schizophrenia is estimated to affect about 1% of the global population.
✓ Recognize neologisms as a characteristic feature of disorganized thought processes in schizophrenia. Individuals experiencing neologisms may struggle to convey their thoughts coherently, leading to disjointed and unconventional language.
