What it means
A mental skill that lets a person check their beliefs and perceptions against reality. In psychosis, reality testing is impaired: the person may hold false beliefs (delusions) or have hallucinationhuh-loo-sih-NAY-shunHearing, seeing, feeling, smelling or tasting something that is not really there.Full entry and accept them as real. A nurse's actions that help the client see what is real, such as orienting them, are sometimes called reality orientation.
For the nurse
Do not argue with a delusion or agree with it. State what you see and hear, focus on real, present events and feelings, and keep the environment calm.
Related terms
delirium
A sudden state of confusion and poor attention that comes and goes over hours or days.
hallucination
Hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling or tasting something that is not really there.
mental status
A person's state of mind at a given time: how alert they are, what they know and how they think, speak and behave.