The practical nurse (PN) is performing a focused assessment for a client with schizophrenia who is admitted to an acute care inpatient facility. Which behavior should the PN document as a symptom of schizophrenia?

A. Frequent thoughts about ending his life: Suicidal ideation is a serious finding but is not specific to schizophrenia. It is more indicative of mood disorders such as major depression and requires immediate safety intervention rather than defining schizophrenia. B. Voices are telling the client to hurt himself: Auditory hallucinations, hearing voices that others do not hear, are a hallmark symptom of schizophrenia. Command hallucinations, where voices instruct the client to act, are particularly dangerous and require prompt intervention for safety. C. Increasing memory lapses: Memory loss is more commonly associated with conditions such as dementia or delirium. While cognitive impairment can occur in schizophrenia, progressive memory loss is not a primary feature of the disorder. D. Periods of depression followed by feelings of euphoria: Alternating episodes of depression and euphoria are characteristic of bipolar disorder, not schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is primarily marked by hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking.