Please read the passage and answer the questions that follow:
Mohan is a 16 years old boy studying in high school. He usually gets anxious in normal circumstances. He has bouts of anxiety attacks when his teachers give him any assignments. In normal times too, he shows symptoms like restlessness, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, frequent urination, rapid heart rate etc. He has unpleasant feelings of fear and apprehensions. After such observations his family members brought him to a psychologist for consultation. The psychologist took detailed information about his psychological attributes, history in the context of his physical & psycho-social environment and interviews with his parents. The parents recalled that their child has become anxious & fearful and is unable to relax. Gradually Mohan is isolating himself from all his near and dear ones.
Which one can not be taken as a symptom of this type of disorder?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Delusion of Grandeur
Mohan’s fear and apprehension, his restlessness and his bodily signs point to an anxiety disorder. The question asks for the one item that is not a symptom of this kind of disorder.
Option (1) Rapid heart rate — A symptom of anxiety (Incorrect). The anxious person shows a combination of bodily symptoms such as rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, sweating, sleeplessness and frequent urination. Mohan has a rapid heart rate too.
Option (2) Delusion of Grandeur — Not a symptom of anxiety (Correct). A delusion is a false belief held firmly on inadequate grounds. In delusions of grandeur people believe themselves to be specially empowered persons. Delusions belong to the positive symptoms of schizophrenia, a psychotic disorder in which the person loses touch with reality. Mohan is fearful of the real demands of school; he holds no such false belief about himself.
Option (3) Loss of sleep — A symptom of anxiety (Incorrect). Sleeplessness is one of the bodily symptoms of the anxious person, and the passage names it among Mohan’s symptoms.
Option (4) Unable to relax — A symptom of anxiety (Incorrect). Generalised anxiety disorder is marked by motor tension, as a result of which the person is unable to relax, is restless, and visibly shaky and tense. Mohan’s parents say the same about him.
NCERT (2025-26): “Anxiety Disorders … Everyone has worries and fears. The term anxiety is usually defined as a diffuse, vague, very unpleasant feeling of fear and apprehension. The anxious individual also shows combinations of the following symptoms: rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, fainting, dizziness, sweating, sleeplessness, frequent urination and tremors. There are many types of anxiety disorders (see Table 4.1). They include generalised anxiety disorder, which consists of prolonged, vague, unexplained and intense fears that are not attached to any particular object. The symptoms include worry and apprehensive feelings about the future; hypervigilance, which involves constantly scanning the environment for dangers. It is marked by motor tension, as a result of which the person is unable to relax, is restless, and visibly shaky and tense.…” “Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders … Many people with schizophrenia develop delusions. A delusion is a false belief that is firmly held on inadequate grounds. It is not affected by rational argument, and has no basis in reality.…” “Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders … People with schizophrenia may also experience delusions of reference in which they attach special and personal meaning to the actions of others or to objects and events. In delusions of grandeur, people believe themselves to be specially empowered persons and in delusions of control, they believe that their feelings, thoughts and actions are controlled by others.…” |