Which of the following speech patterns is an example of tangential thinking?

Choice A reason: Socialization and mutual needs define social relationships, not therapeutic ones. Therapeutic relationships focus on patient needs, like addressing serotonin-driven depression, not reciprocal sharing. This approach risks blurring professional boundaries, making it incorrect for psychiatric nursing’s patient-centered focus.

Choice B reason: Mutual growth and satisfaction characterize social partnerships, not therapeutic relationships. In psychiatric care, the focus is on patient recovery, addressing issues like dopamine imbalances, not nurse satisfaction. This option misaligns with the professional, patient-centered nature of therapeutic relationships.

Choice C reason: The therapeutic relationship centers on the patient, addressing issues like amygdala-driven anxiety through collaborative discussion. Solutions, like medication adherence, are patient-driven to promote autonomy, aligning with neurobiological and psychological recovery principles, making this the correct description of the therapeutic dynamic.

Choice D reason: Shifting focus and mutual advice blur professional boundaries, resembling social relationships. Therapeutic relationships prioritize patient needs, like serotonin stabilization, with nurse guidance, not reciprocal advice. This option misrepresents the patient-centered, evidence-based nature of psychiatric therapeutic relationships.

Choice A reason: Linking mental illness to brain disorders, like dopamine imbalances in schizophrenia, is factual and reduces stigma by emphasizing neurobiological causes. This aligns with scientific understanding, not perpetuating blame or stereotypes, making it an incorrect choice for reflecting stigma.

Choice B reason: Genetic predisposition, such as serotonin transporter gene variations, is a scientific explanation for mental illness. This reduces stigma by highlighting biological causes, not personal failings, aligning with evidence-based understanding and making it an incorrect choice for stigmatizing mental illness.

Choice C reason: Recognizing mental illness in children, like ADHD with dopamine deficits, normalizes early diagnosis and treatment. This factual statement reduces stigma by acknowledging neurobiological conditions across ages, making it an incorrect choice for reflecting stigmatizing attitudes toward mental illness.

Choice D reason: Blaming mental illness on family breakdown ignores neurobiological causes, like serotonin or dopamine imbalances, and perpetuates stigma by implying personal or social failure. This judgmental view misrepresents scientific evidence, making it the correct choice for reflecting stigmatizing attitudes toward mental illness.