Schizophrenia Q 43
A client is unable to get out of bed and get dressed unless the nurse prompts every step. This is an example of which behavior?
A. Word salad
B. Tangential
C. Avolition
D. Perseveration
Correct Answer: C. Avolition
Avolition refers to impairment in the ability to initiate goal-directed activity. Avolition, a lack of motivation or reduced drive to complete goal-directed activities, is a concerning and common characteristic in people with schizophrenia. It is one of the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Negative symptoms involve those that cause a decrease or loss in mental functioning and can interfere with daily functioning, including maintaining a job, relationship, or social life.
Option A: Word salad is when a group of words are put together in a random fashion without logical connection. Severely disorganized and virtually incomprehensible speech or writing, marked by severe loosening of associations strongly suggestive of schizophrenia. The person’s associations appear to have little or no logical connection.
Option B: Tangential is where a person never gets to the point of the communication. Tangential speech is a communication disorder in which the train of thought of the speaker wanders and shows a lack of focus, never returning to the initial topic of the conversation. It is less severe than Logorrhea and may be associated with the middle stage in dementia.
Option D: Perseveration is when a person repeats the same word or idea in response to different questions. Perseveration according to psychology, psychiatry, and speech-language pathology, is the repetition of a particular response (such as a word, phrase, or gesture) regardless of the absence or cessation of a stimulus. It is usually caused by a brain injury or other organic disorder.