The nurse is caring for a patient admitted to the psychiatric unit with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. the patient has not bathed recently, and a family member states that the patient has not been out of the house for 10 days. on admission, the patient tells the nurse, "they are trying to hurt me; don't let them hurt me." this is an example of which symptom?

This is an example of persecutory hallucinations in which the affected persons believe they are being maliciously maligned, persecuted, obstructed, trick, spied on or physically hurt. Persecutory hallucinations or delusions are the most common form of delusions in paranoid schizophrenia. Generally, the patient thinks that harm is occurring, or is going to occur. Individuals with this kind of hallucinations are often resentful and angry, leading to an act of violence against those they believe are hurting them or their loved one.