A 61-year-old married woman exhibits eccentric behavior, has few friends, uses odd word choices, and has magical thinking related to social media. Her son says, "She's always been weird. That's just Mom." What is the most likely diagnosis?
Schizotypal personality disorder
Paranoid personality disorder
Schizoid personality disorder
Borderline personality disorder
The Correct Answer is A
Choice A reason: Schizotypal personality disorder is characterized by eccentric behavior, social isolation, odd speech patterns, and magical thinking. Individuals may appear peculiar or strange to others and often have distorted perceptions or beliefs, such as attributing special meaning to social media interactions. The lifelong nature of these traits, as described by the son, supports this diagnosis.
Choice B reason: Paranoid personality disorder involves pervasive distrust and suspicion of others, often interpreting benign actions as malicious. While these individuals may be socially isolated, they do not typically exhibit magical thinking or eccentric speech patterns.
Choice C reason: Schizoid personality disorder is marked by detachment from social relationships and limited emotional expression. These individuals tend to be indifferent to social norms and relationships but do not display the cognitive or perceptual distortions seen in schizotypal personality disorder.
Choice D reason: Borderline personality disorder involves emotional instability, impulsivity, intense interpersonal relationships, and fear of abandonment. Magical thinking and eccentric behavior are not core features, making this diagnosis less likely.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is A
Explanation
Choice A reason: Blurred vision is the hallmark early symptom of cataract formation. It results from the clouding of the lens, which scatters light and reduces visual clarity. Patients often describe difficulty reading, glare sensitivity, and needing more light for tasks.
Choice B reason: Headache is not a typical symptom of cataracts. It may occur with other ocular conditions like glaucoma or refractive errors but is not a primary indicator of lens opacity.
Choice C reason: Floaters are associated with vitreous degeneration or retinal detachment, not cataracts. They appear as spots or threads in the visual field and are unrelated to lens changes.
Choice D reason: Eye strain may occur with uncorrected refractive errors or prolonged screen use but is not a defining feature of cataracts. It lacks the specificity and diagnostic relevance of blurred vision.
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A reason: Psychotic symptoms in bipolar disorder can last longer than one month, especially during severe manic or depressive episodes. The duration alone does not differentiate bipolar disorder from schizoaffective disorder.
Choice B reason: In bipolar disorder, psychotic symptoms are mood-congruent and occur exclusively during mood episodes. In contrast, schizoaffective disorder includes psychotic symptoms that persist independently of mood disturbances, which is the key distinguishing feature.
Choice C reason: Schizoaffective disorder can include both depressive and manic or hypomanic episodes. It is not limited to depressive episodes alone. The subtype (depressive type or bipolar type) depends on the nature of the mood episodes.
Choice D reason: Schizoaffective disorder often includes full-blown episodes of major depression. The presence of major depressive episodes is part of the diagnostic criteria for the depressive subtype of schizoaffective disorder.
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