Geriatric Psychiatry Practice Questions

Q: Delirium is distinguished from dementia by the presence of which of the following?

Clouding of consciousness. **Explanation:** The hallmark feature that distinguishes **Delirium** from **Dementia** is the **Clouding of Consciousness** (also referred to as an altered level of awareness or sensorium). 1. **Why "Clouding of Consciousness" is correct:** Delirium is an acute neuropsychiatric syndrome characterized by a fluctuating course and a primary disturbance in **attention and awareness**. "Clouding of consciousness" refers to the patient's inability to focus, sustain, or shift attention, often accompanied by a reduced orientation to the environment. In contrast, patients with early-to-moderate Dementia are typically alert and have a clear sensorium until the very late stages of the disease. 2. **Why other options are incorrect:** * **Impaired Judgment & Impaired Memory (A & B):** These are common to **both** delirium and dementia. While memory impairment is the hallmark of dementia, a delirious patient also exhibits significant memory deficits due to their inability to register new information (poor attention). * **Thought Disorder (D):** Disorganized thinking can occur in both conditions (and is a core feature of Schizophrenia). While delirium often involves fragmented or incoherent speech, it is not the pathognomonic feature used to differentiate it from dementia. **High-Yield Clinical Pearls for NEET-PG:** * **Onset:** Delirium is **acute** (hours to days); Dementia is **chronic/insidious** (months to years). * **Reversibility:** Delirium is usually reversible (secondary to medical illness/toxins); Dementia is typically progressive and irreversible. * **Sleep-Wake Cycle:** Markedly disturbed (often reversed) in Delirium; relatively normal in early Dementia. * **EEG Finding:** Delirium typically shows **generalized slowing** of background activity (except in Delirium Tremens, which shows low-voltage fast activity). EEG is usually normal in early Dementia.

Q: All of the following are true about delirium except?

Auditory hallucinations are more commonly present.. Delirium is an acute, transient, and reversible state of cognitive dysfunction characterized by a fluctuating level of consciousness and impaired attention. **Explanation of the Correct Answer (C):** In delirium, **visual hallucinations** are the most common type of perceptual disturbance (e.g., seeing insects or people). While auditory hallucinations can occur, they are much more characteristic of functional psychiatric disorders like Schizophrenia. Therefore, the statement that auditory hallucinations are "more common" is incorrect. **Analysis of Other Options:** * **A. Most common organic brain disorder:** This is true. Delirium is the most frequent psychiatric syndrome encountered in general hospital settings, particularly among elderly patients and those in intensive care units (ICU psychosis). * **B. Generalized slowing of waves in EEG:** This is a hallmark diagnostic feature. Most cases of delirium show diffuse slowing of background activity (theta and delta waves). *Exception:* Delirium Tremens (alcohol withdrawal), which shows low-amplitude fast activity. * **C. Sundowning phenomenon:** This is true. It refers to the worsening of confusion and agitation during the late afternoon or evening hours, often due to diminished light and sensory input. **High-Yield Clinical Pearls for NEET-PG:** * **Core Feature:** Disturbance of **consciousness** and **attention** (unlike Dementia, where consciousness is clear). * **Onset:** Acute (hours to days) with a **fluctuating** course. * **Management:** Treat the underlying medical cause. **Haloperidol** is the drug of choice for agitation (avoid benzodiazepines unless it is alcohol withdrawal delirium). * **Asterixis** (liver flap) can often be seen in metabolic delirium.

Q: Which of the following is not a feature of delirium?

Intact attention. **Explanation:** Delirium (Acute Confusional State) is an acute, transient, and reversible syndrome characterized by a global impairment of cognitive functions. **Why "Intact Attention" is the correct answer:** The hallmark feature of delirium is a **disturbance of consciousness and attention**. Patients typically demonstrate an inability to focus, sustain, or shift attention. Therefore, "intact attention" is fundamentally incompatible with a diagnosis of delirium. In contrast, in conditions like early Dementia, attention usually remains intact while memory is lost. **Analysis of other options:** * **Memory loss:** While attention is the primary deficit, global cognitive impairment occurs, frequently involving short-term memory loss and disorientation to time and place. * **Illusion:** Perceptual disturbances are very common. While visual hallucinations are classic, **illusions** (misinterpretation of real external stimuli) are frequently seen due to the clouded consciousness. * **Disturbed sleep:** A reversal of the sleep-wake cycle (daytime somnolence and nocturnal agitation/“sundowning”) is a diagnostic criterion for delirium. **High-Yield Clinical Pearls for NEET-PG:** * **Onset:** Acute (hours to days) with a **fluctuating course** (worse at night). * **EEG Finding:** Characteristically shows **generalized slowing** of background activity (except in Delirium Tremens, where activity is fast). * **Primary Management:** Treat the underlying medical cause (e.g., infection, electrolyte imbalance). * **Drug of Choice:** Low-dose **Haloperidol** (avoid Benzodiazepines unless the delirium is due to alcohol withdrawal).

Q: What is the annual conversion rate to dementia in patients with mild cognitive impairment?

10%. ### Explanation **Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)** is a clinical state where an individual has objective memory or cognitive impairment beyond what is expected for their age, but their activities of daily living (ADLs) remain intact. It is considered a "prodromal" or transitional stage between normal aging and dementia. **1. Why 10% is Correct:** Epidemiological studies and clinical trials (such as those by Petersen et al.) consistently show that patients diagnosed with MCI convert to clinically diagnosable dementia (most commonly Alzheimer’s disease) at a rate of approximately **10% to 15% per year**. In contrast, the conversion rate for healthy elderly individuals is significantly lower, at about 1% to 2% per year. Therefore, Option A is the most accurate representation of the annual progression risk. **2. Why Other Options are Incorrect:** * **Options B, C, and D (20%, 30%, 40%):** These figures significantly overestimate the *annual* conversion rate. While the *cumulative* conversion rate over 3 to 5 years may reach 30% to 50%, the question specifically asks for the **annual** rate. Overestimating this risk can lead to unnecessary patient anxiety and incorrect clinical prognosis. **3. High-Yield Clinical Pearls for NEET-PG:** * **Amnestic MCI:** The subtype where memory loss is the primary symptom; it has the highest risk of progressing to **Alzheimer’s Disease**. * **Non-amnestic MCI:** Affects other domains (language, executive function); it may progress to Frontotemporal Dementia or Lewy Body Dementia. * **Reversibility:** Unlike dementia, MCI can sometimes be stable or even revert to normal cognition if the underlying cause (e.g., Vitamin B12 deficiency, depression, or hypothyroidism) is treated. * **Key Diagnostic Difference:** In MCI, **ADLs are preserved**; in Dementia, **ADLs are significantly impaired**.

Q: Black patch delirium is seen in which of the following patient groups?

Post-cataract surgery patients. **Explanation:** **Black patch delirium** (also known as **Post-cataract delirium**) is a specific type of delirium that occurs due to **sensory deprivation**. 1. **Why the correct answer is right:** Historically, after cataract surgery, both eyes were covered with bandages (black patches) to ensure immobilization. This sudden loss of visual input, often combined with the unfamiliar hospital environment and the advanced age of the patients, leads to sensory deprivation. This triggers disorientation, agitation, and hallucinations—the hallmarks of delirium. Modern surgical techniques (like phacoemulsification) rarely require bilateral patching, making this condition less common today. 2. **Why the incorrect options are wrong:** * **Option A & B:** These options are distractors based on the word "Black." Skin pigmentation and malignant melanoma (a pigment-cell cancer) are physiological and oncological conditions, respectively, and have no causal link to acute delirium. * **Option C:** While burn patients can develop delirium due to sepsis, electrolyte imbalance, or pain medication (ICU psychosis), the specific term "Black patch delirium" is etiologically tied to visual deprivation, not thermal injury. **Clinical Pearls for NEET-PG:** * **Mechanism:** Sensory deprivation (specifically visual). * **Risk Factors:** Advanced age, pre-existing cognitive impairment, and bilateral eye patching. * **Management:** The primary treatment is **sensory restoration** (removing the patches as soon as possible) and reorientation. * **Differential:** Do not confuse this with "Sundowning," which is the worsening of confusion in elderly/demented patients during evening hours due to fading light.

Q: Which of the following is a reversible cause of dementia?

Toxic dementia. **Explanation:** Dementia is clinically categorized into **irreversible (degenerative)** and **reversible (secondary)** causes. Identifying reversible causes is a critical step in geriatric psychiatry because timely intervention can restore cognitive function. **Why Toxic Dementia is Correct:** Toxic dementia refers to cognitive impairment caused by exogenous substances such as heavy metals (lead, mercury), chronic alcohol abuse, or medications (anticholinergics, benzodiazepines). Since these are external insults, removing the offending agent or treating the toxicity can lead to partial or complete reversal of cognitive deficits. Other classic reversible causes include Vitamin B12 deficiency, hypothyroidism, and Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH). **Why the other options are Incorrect:** * **B. Alzheimer’s Disease:** The most common cause of dementia. It is a progressive, neurodegenerative condition characterized by amyloid plaques and tau tangles. It is irreversible. * **C. Multi-infarct Dementia:** A type of Vascular Dementia caused by multiple strokes. While further progression can be slowed by managing risk factors (like hypertension), the brain tissue already lost to infarction cannot be recovered. * **D. Pick’s Disease:** Now classified under Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). It involves progressive atrophy of the frontal and temporal lobes and is irreversible. **NEET-PG High-Yield Pearls:** * **Pseudodementia:** A high-yield "reversible" mimic of dementia caused by **Depression** in the elderly. Patients typically complain of memory loss (unlike true dementia) and answer "I don't know" to questions. * **Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome:** Alcohol-related cognitive impairment. Wernicke’s (acute) is reversible with Thiamine, but Korsakoff’s (chronic) is often permanent. * **Rule of thumb:** Always screen for "DEMENTIA" (Drugs, Emotional, Metabolic, Eyes/Ears, Nutrition, Tumors, Infection, Arterial) to find reversible causes.

Question 1

A 55-year-old male presented with complaints of apathy, disinhibition, compulsive behavior, loss of empathy, overeating, easy forgetfulness, and amnesia. There is also a family history of dementia. What is the most likely diagnosis?

Accepted Answer

Frontotemporal dementia

Answer

Alzheimer's disease

Answer

Vascular dementia

Answer

Lewy body dementia

Question 2

A 56-year-old man, treated with antibiotics for 4 days, develops altered sensorium. He cannot recognize his doctor and nurse, believes he is imprisoned and being poisoned, and reports seeing scorpions on his bed. What is the most likely diagnosis?

Accepted Answer

Delirium

Answer

Acute dementia

Answer

Acute schizophrenia

Answer

Acute paranoia

Question 3

Delirium is distinguished from dementia by the presence of which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Clouding of consciousness

Answer

Impaired judgment

Answer

Impaired memory

Answer

Thought disorder

Question 4

All of the following are true about delirium except?

Accepted Answer

Auditory hallucinations are more commonly present.

Answer

It is the most common organic brain disorder.

Answer

Generalized slowing of waves are seen in EEG.

Answer

Sundowning phenomenon is seen.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT true about dementia?

Accepted Answer

Clouding of consciousness is common

Answer

Often irreversible

Answer

Hallucinations are not common

Answer

Nootropics have limited role

Question 6

Which of the following is not a feature of delirium?

Accepted Answer

Intact attention

Answer

Memory loss

Answer

Illusion

Answer

Disturbed sleep

Question 7

What is the annual conversion rate to dementia in patients with mild cognitive impairment?

Accepted Answer

10%

Answer

20%

Answer

30%

Answer

40%

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT a feature of dementia?

Accepted Answer

Loss of sensorium

Answer

Wearing of 'diy' (do-it-yourself) clothes

Answer

Forgetfulness

Answer

Loss of neurons in brain matter

Question 9

Black patch delirium is seen in which of the following patient groups?

Accepted Answer

Post-cataract surgery patients

Answer

Individuals with dark skin pigmentation

Answer

Patients with malignant melanoma

Answer

Patients with third-degree burns

Question 10

Which of the following is a reversible cause of dementia?

Accepted Answer

Toxic dementia

Answer

Alzheimer's disease

Answer

Multi-infarct dementia

Answer

Pick's disease

Geriatric Psychiatry — MCQs

Geriatric Psychiatry — MCQs

On this page

Practice by Chapter

Want unlimited practice?