Psychotic disorders: ambitendency: practice question

A Psychiatry question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Psychiatry · Psychotic disorders: ambitendency

Sample item

A catatonic patient is offered a handshake. He starts to raise his hand, pulls it back, starts again, and repeats this hesitant sequence without ever completing the act. Which term describes this?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

B. Ambitendency

Ambitendency is a series of tentative, hesitant and incomplete movements when the patient wants to perform an action, because opposing impulses are present together. It is a catatonic sign seen in schizophrenia and reflects motor ambivalence.

Option by option

  • A. Automatic obedience

    Automatic obedience is mechanical, exaggerated compliance with every instruction.

  • B. Ambitendency (correct)

    Correct. Repeated starting and stopping of an intended movement is ambitendency.

  • C. Negativism

    Negativism is resistance to instructions or doing the opposite, without the repeated hesitation.

  • D. Echopraxia

    Echopraxia is involuntary imitation of the examiner's movements.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Psychiatry question

What is the answer to this Psychiatry question?

The best answer is B, Ambitendency. Ambitendency is a series of tentative, hesitant and incomplete movements when the patient wants to perform an action, because opposing impulses are present together.

Why is "Automatic obedience" not the answer?

Automatic obedience is mechanical, exaggerated compliance with every instruction.

Why is "Negativism" not the answer?

Negativism is resistance to instructions or doing the opposite, without the repeated hesitation.

Why is "Echopraxia" not the answer?

Echopraxia is involuntary imitation of the examiner's movements.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Psychotic disorders: ambitendency in Psychiatry. It is a catatonic sign seen in schizophrenia and reflects motor ambivalence.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as a multi-step question: it asks you to combine more than one idea. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Psychotic disorders: ambitendency?

Learn each diagnosis by its core features and its first-line treatment. Then use the flashcards and the other Psychiatry questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.