Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) Practice Test

How is rapid and increased speech, which is difficult to understand, best described?

1. Pressured speech

2. Cleared speech

3. Stuttered speech

4. Slow speech

The correct answer is: Pressured speech

Rapid and increased speech that is difficult to understand is best described as pressured speech. This term is commonly used in the context of psychiatric evaluations, particularly in conditions such as mania or hypomania, where an individual feels an overwhelming urge to speak quickly, often resulting in a rapid flow of words that can be hard for others to follow. The key features of pressured speech include its urgency and the lack of pauses, which can make it seem overwhelming or chaotic. Neither cleared speech, stuttered speech, nor slow speech captures the essence of this phenomenon. Cleared speech implies clarity and intelligibility, stuttered speech refers to disruptions in the flow of speech characterized by repetitions or prolonged sounds, and slow speech describes a deliberate and measured pace, all of which do not align with the qualities of pressured speech.