NURS 3161 Midterm Questions and Answers

NURS 3161 Midterm Questions and Answers Which measure would be considered a form of primary prevention for suicide? a. Psychiatric hospitalization of a suicidal patient b. Referral of a formerly suicidal patient to a support group c. Suicide precautions for 24 hours for newly admitted patients d. Helping school children learn to manage stress and be resilient D Which change in the brain's biochemical function is most associated with suicidal behavior? a. Dopamine excess b. Serotonin deficiency c. Acetylcholine excess d. γ-aminobutyric acid deficiency B A college student who failed two tests cried for hours and then tried to telephone a parent but got no answer. The student then gave several expensive sweaters to a roommate and asked to be left alone for a few hours. Which behavior provides the strongest clue of an impending suicide attempt?a. Calling parents b. Excessive crying c. Giving aaway sweaters d. Staying alone in dorm room C A nurse uses the SAD PERSONS scale to interview a patient. This tool provides data relevant to a. current stress level. b. mood disturbance. c. suicide potential. d. level of anxiety. C A person intentionally overdosed on antidepressants. Which nursing diagnosis has the highest priority? a. Powerlessness b. Social isolation c. Risk for suicide d. Compromised family coping C Select the most critical question for the nurse to ask an adolescent who has threatened to take an overdose of pills. a. "Why do you want to kill yourself?" b. "Do you have access to medications?" c. "Have you been taking drugs and alcohol?" d. "Did something happen with your parents?" B It has been 5 days since a suicidal patient was hospitalized and prescribed an antidepressant medication. The patient is now more talkative and shows increased energy. Select the highest priority nursing intervention. a. Supervise the patient 24 hours a day. b. Begin discharge planning for the patient. c. Refer the patient to art and music therapists. d. Consider discontinuation of suicide precautions. A A nurse and patient construct a no-suicide contract. Select the preferable wording .a. "I will not try to harm myself during the next 24 hours." b. "I will not make a suicide attempt while I am hospitalized." c. "For the next 24 hours, I will not in any way attempt to harm or kill myself." d. "I will not kill myself until I call my primary nurse or a member of the staff." C A tearful, anxious patient at the outpatient clinic reports, "I should be dead." The initial task of the nurse conducting the assessment interview is to a. assess lethality of suicide plan. b. encourage expression of anger. c. establish trust with the patient. d. determine risk factors for suicide. C Which statement provides the best rationale for closely monitoring a severely depressed patient during antidepressant medication therapy? a. As depression lifts, physical energy becomes available to carry out suicide b. Patients who previously had suicidal thoughts need to discuss their feelings. c. For most patients, antidepressant medication results in increased suicidal thinking. d. Suicide is an impulsive act. Antidepressant medication does not alter impulsivity. A When assessing a patient's plan for suicide, what aspect has priority? a. Patient's financial and educational status b. Patient's insight into suicidal motivation c. Availability of means and lethality of method d. Quality and availability of patient's social support C A patient asks, "What are neurotransmitters? My doctor said mine are imbalanced." Select the nurse's best response. a. "How do you feel about having imbalanced neurotransmitters?" b. "Neurotransmitters protect us from harmful effects of free radicals." c. "Neurotransmitters are substances we consume that influence memory and mood." d. "Neurotransmitters are natural chemicals that pass messages between brain cells." D The patient asked for information, and the correct response is most accurate. Neurotransmitters are chemical substances that function as messengers in the central nervous system. They are released from the axon terminal, diffuse across the synapse, and attach to specialized receptors on the postsynaptic neuron. The distracters either do not answer the patient's question or provide untrue, misleading information. A patient's history shows drinking 4 to 6 L of fluid and eating more than 6,000 calories per day. Which part of the central nervous system is most likely dysfunctional for this patient? a. Amygdala b. Parietal lobe c. Hippocampus d. Hypothalamus D The nurse prepares to assess a patient diagnosed with major depressive disorder for disturbances in circadian rhythms. Which question should the nurse ask this patient? a. "Have you ever seen or heard things that others do not?" b. "What are your worst and best times of the day?" c. "How would you describe your thinking?" d. "Do you think your memory is failing?" B Mood changes throughout the day may be related to circadian rhythm disturbances. Questions about sleep pattern are also relevant to circadian rhythms. The nurse administers a medication that potentiates the action of ã-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Which effect would be expected? a. Reduced anxiety b. Improved memory c. More organized thinking d. Fewer sensory perceptual alterations A Increased levels of GABA reduce anxiety. Acetylcholine and substance P are associated with memory enhancement. Thought disorganization is associated with dopamine. GABA is not associated with sensory perceptual alterations. A nurse would anticipate that treatment for a patient with memory difficulties might include medications designed to a. inhibit GABA. b. prevent destruction of acetylcholine. c. reduce serotonin metabolism. d. increase dopamine activity. B Increased acetylcholine plays a role in learning and memory. Preventing destruction of acetylcholine by acetylcholinesterase would result in higher levels of acetylcholine, with the potential for improved memory. GABA affects anxiety rather than memory. Increased dopamine would cause symptoms associated with schizophrenia or mania rather than improve memory. Decreasing dopamine at receptor sites is associated with Parkinson's disease rather than improving memory. A patient has disorganized thinking associated with schizophrenia. Neuroimaging would likely show dysfunction in which part of the brain? a. Hippocampus b. Frontal lobe c. Cerebellum d. Brainstem B The frontal lobe is responsible for intellectual functioning. The hippocampus is involved in emotions and learning. The cerebellum regulates skeletal muscle coordination and equilibrium. The brainstem regulates internal organs. The nurse should assess a patient taking a drug with anticholinergic properties for inhibited function of the a. parasympathetic nervous system b. sympathetic nervous system. c. reticular activating system. d. medulla oblongata. A Acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter found in high concentration in the parasympathetic nervous system. When anticholinergic drugs inhibit acetylcholine action, blurred vision, dry mouth, constipation, and urinary retention commonly occur. A patient taking medication for mental illness develops restlessness and an uncontrollable need to be in motion. Which drug action causes these symptoms to develop? a. Anticholinergic effects b. Dopamine-blocking effects c. Endocrine-stimulating effects d. Ability to stimulate spinal nerves B Medication that blocks dopamine often produces disturbances of movement, such as akathisia, because dopamine affects neurons involved in both thought processes and movement regulation. Anticholinergic effects include dry mouth, blurred vision, urinary retention, and constipation. Akathisia is not caused by endocrine stimulation or spinal nerve stimulation. A fearful patient has an increased heart rate and blood pressure. The nurse suspects increased activity of which neurotransmitter? a. GABA b. Norepinephrine c. Acetylcholine d. Histamine B Norepinephrine is the neurotransmitter associated with sympathetic nervous system stimulation, preparing the individual for "fight or flight." GABA is a mediator of anxiety level. A high concentration of histamine is associated with an inflammatory response. A high concentration of acetylcholine is associated with parasympathetic nervous system stimulation. A patient is hospitalized for severe major depressive disorder. Of the medications listed below, the nurse can expect to provide the patient with teaching about a. chlordiazepoxide. b. clozapine. c. sertraline. d. tacrine. C Sertraline (Zoloft) is an selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). This antidepressant blocks the reuptake of serotonin, with few anticholinergic and sedating side effects. Clozapine is an antipsychotic. Chlordiazepoxide is an anxiolytic. Tacrine treats Alzheimer's disease. A patient diagnosed with bipolar disorder displays aggressiveness, agitation, talkativeness, and irritability. The nurse expects the health care provider to prescribe a medication from which group? a. Psychostimulants b. Mood stabilizers c. Anticholinergics d. Antidepressants B The symptoms describe mania, which is effectively treated by mood stabilizers, such as lithium, and selected anticonvulsants (carbamazepine, valproic acid, and lamotrigine). Drugs from the other classifications listed are not effective in the treatment of mania. A patient begins therapy with a phenothiazine medication. What teaching should the nurse provide related to the drug's strong dopaminergic effect? a. Chew sugarless gum. b. Increase dietary fiber. c. Arise slowly from bed. d. Report changes in muscle movement. D Phenothiazines block dopamine receptors in both the limbic system and basal ganglia. Movement disorders and motor abnormalities (extrapyramidal side effects), such as parkinsonism, akinesia, akathisia, dyskinesia, and tardive dyskinesia, are likely to occur early in the course of treatment. They are often heralded by sensations of muscle stiffness. Early intervention with antiparkinsonism medication can increase the patient's comfort and prevent dystonic reactions. The distracters are related to anticholinergic effects. A nurse can anticipate anticholinergic side effects are likely when a patient takes a. lithium. b. buspirone. c. imipramine. d. risperidone. C Imipramine (Tofranil) is a tricyclic antidepressant with strong anticholinergic properties, resulting in dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation, and urinary retention. Which instruction has priority when teaching a patient about clozapine? a. "Avoid unprotected sex." b. "Report sore throat and fever immediately." c. "Reduce foods high in polyunsaturated fats." d. "Use over-the-counter preparations for rashes." B Clozapine therapy may produce agranulocytosis... therefore, signs of infection should be immediately reported to the health care provider. In addition, the patient should have white blood cell levels measured weekly. The other options are not relevant to clozapine. By which mechanism do SSRI medications improve depression? a. Destroying increased amounts of serotonin b. Making more serotonin available at the synaptic gap c. Increasing production of acetylcholine and dopamine d. Blocking muscarinic and á1 norepinephrine receptors B Depression is thought to be related to lowered availability of the neurotransmitter serotonin. SSRIs act by blocking reuptake of serotonin, leaving a higher concentration available at the synaptic cleft. SSRIs prevent destruction of serotonin. SSRIs have little or no effect on acetylcholine and dopamine production. SSRIs do not produce muscarinic or á1 norepinephrine blockade. The laboratory report for a patient taking clozapine (Clozaril) shows a white blood cell count of 3000 mm3. Select the nurse's best action. a. Report the results to the health care provider immediately. b. Administer the next dose as prescribed. c. Give aspirin and force fluids. d. Repeat the laboratory test. A These laboratory values indicate the possibility of agranulocytosis, a serious side effect of clozapine therapy. These results must be immediately reported to the health care provider, and the drug should be withheld. The health care provider may repeat the test, but in the meantime, the drug should be withheld. A nurse prepares to administer a second-generation antipsychotic medication to a patient diagnosed with schizophrenia. Additional monitoring for adverse effects will be most important if the patient has which co-morbid health problems? (Select all that apply.) a. Parkinson's disease b. Grave's disease c. Hyperlipidemia d. Osteoarthritis e. Diabetes A, C, E Antipsychotic medications may produce weight gain, which would complicate care of a patient with diabetes, and increase serum triglycerides, which would complicate care of a patient with hyperlipidemia. Parkinson's disease involves changes in transmission of dopamine and acetylcholine, so these drugs would also complicate care of this patient. Osteoarthritis and Grave's disease should have no synergistic effect with this medication. A patient diagnosed with major depressive disorder says, "No one cares about me anymore.I'm not worth anything." Today the patient is wearing a new shirt and has neat, clean hair.Which remark by the nurse supports building a positive self-esteem for this patient? a. "You look nice this morning." b. "You're wearing a new shirt." c. "I like the shirt you are wearing." d. "You must be feeling better today." ANS: B Patients with depression usually see the negative side of things. The meaning of compliments may be altered to "I didn't look nice yesterday" or "They didn't like my other shirt." Neutral comments such as making an observation avoid negative interpretations. Saying, "You look nice" or "I like your shirt" gives approval (nontherapeutic techniques). Saying "You must be feeling better today" is an assumption, which is nontherapeutic. A patient says to the nurse, "My life doesn't have any happiness in it anymore. I once enjoyed holidays, but now they're just another day." The nurse documents this report as an example of a. dysthymia. b. anhedonia. c. euphoria. d. anergia. ANS: B Anhedonia is a common finding in many types of depression. It refers to feelings of a loss of pleasure in formerly pleasurable activities. Dysthymia is a diagnosis. Euphoria refers to an elated mood. Anergia means "without energy." A patient diagnosed with major depressive disorder tells the nurse, "Bad things that happen are always my fault." Which response by the nurse will best assist the patient to reframe this over generalization? a. "I really doubt that one person can be blamed for all the bad things that happen." b. "Let's look at one bad thing that happened to see if another explanation exists." c. "You are being extremely hard on yourself. Try to have a positive focus." d. "Are you saying that you don't have any good things happen?" ANS: B By questioning a faulty assumption, the nurse can help the patient look at the premise more objectively and reframe it as a more accurate representation of fact. The incorrect responses cast doubt but do not require the patient to evaluate the statement. A patient diagnosed with depressive disorder begins selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor(SSRI) antidepressant therapy. The nurse should provide information to the patient and family about a. restricting sodium intake to 1 gram daily. b. minimizing exposure to bright sunlight. c. reporting increased suicidal thoughts. d. maintaining a tyramine-free diet. ANS: C Some evidence indicates that suicidal ideation may worsen at the beginning of antidepressant therapy; thus, close monitoring is necessary. Avoiding exposure to bright sunlight and restricting sodium intake are unnecessary. Tyramine restriction is associated with monoamineoxidase inhibitor (MAOI) therapy. A patient diagnosed with major depressive disorder does not interact with others except when addressed, and then only in monosyllables. The nurse wants to show nonjudgmental acceptance and support for the patient. Which communication technique will be effective? a. Make observations b. Ask the patient direct questions. c. Phrase questions to require yes or no answers. d. Frequently reassure the patient to reduce guilt feelings. ANS: A Making observations about neutral topics draws the patient into the reality around him or her but places no burdensome expectations for answers on the patient. Acceptance and support are shown by the nurse's presence. Direct questions may make the patient feel that the encounter is an interrogation. Open-ended questions are preferable if the patient is able to participate in dialogue. Platitudes are never acceptable. They minimize patient feelings and can increase feelings of worthlessness. A patient diagnosed with major depressive disorder repeatedly tells staff, "I have cancer. It's my punishment for being a bad person." Diagnostic tests reveal no cancer. Select the priority nursing diagnosis. a. Powerlessness b. Risk for suicide c. Stress overload d. Spiritual distress ANS: B A patient diagnosed with major depressive disorder who feels so worthless as to believe cancer is deserved is at risk for suicide. Safety concerns take priority over the other diagnoses listed. During a psychiatric assessment, the nurse observes a patient's facial expression is without emotion. The patient says, "Life feels so hopeless to me. I've been feeling sad for several months." How will the nurse document the patient's affect and mood? a. Affect depressed; mood flat b. Affect flat; mood depressed c. Affect labile; mood euphoric d. Affect and mood are incongruent. ANS: B Mood refers to a person's self-reported emotional feeling state. Affect is the emotional feeling state that is outwardly observable by others. When there is no evidence of emotion in a person's expression, the affect is flat. A patient diagnosed with major depressive disorder began taking escitalopram 5 days ago. The patient now says, "This medicine isn't working." The nurse's best intervention would be to a. discuss with the health care provider the need to increase the dose. b. reassure the patient that the medication will be effective soon. c. explain the time lag before antidepressants relieve symptoms. d. critically assess the patient for symptoms of improvement. ANS: C Escitalopram is an SSRI antidepressant. One to three weeks of treatment is usually necessary before symptom relief occurs. This information is important to share with patients. A patient is experiencing psychomotor agitation associated with major depressive disorder. Which observation would the nurse associate with this symptom? The patient a. paces aimlessly around the room. b. asks the nurse to repeat instructions. c. complains of prickly skin sensations. d. demonstrates slowed verbal responses. ANS: A Psychomotor agitation may be evidenced by constant pacing and wringing of hands. Slowedmovements and responses are aspects of psychomotor retardation. Complaints of the unusualskin sensations may represent a delusion or hallucination. Asking the nurse to repeatinstructions indicates difficulty with concentration. The admission note indicates a patient diagnosed with major depressive disorder has anergiaand anhedonia. For which measures should the nurse plan? (Select all that apply.) a. Channeling excessive energy b. Reducing guilty ruminations c. Instilling a sense of hopefulness d. Assisting with self-care activities e. Accommodating psychomotor retardation ANS: C, D, E Anergia refers to a lack of energy. Anhedonia refers to the inability to find pleasure ormeaning in life; thus, planning should include measures to accommodate psychomotorretardation, assist with activities of daily living, and instill hopefulness. Anergia is lack ofenergy, not excessive energy. Anhedonia does not necessarily imply the presence of guiltyruminations. A nurse caring for a patient diagnosed with major depressive disorder reads in the patient's medical record, "This patient shows vegetative signs of depression." Which nursing diagnoses most clearly relate to this documentation? (Select all that apply.) a. Imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements b. Chronic low self-esteem c. Sexual dysfunction d. Self-care deficit e. Powerlessness f. Insomnia ANS: A, C, D, F Vegetative signs of depression are alterations in body processes necessary to support life andgrowth, such as eating, sleeping, elimination, and sexual activity. These diagnoses are moreclosely related to vegetative signs than diagnoses associated with feelings about self. A patient diagnosed with major depressive disorder shows vegetative signs of depression. Which nursing actions should be implemented? (Select all that apply.) a. Offer laxatives if needed. b. Monitor food and fluid intake. c. Provide a quiet sleep environment. d. Eliminate all daily caffeine intake. e. Restrict intake of processed foods. ANS: A, B, C The correct options promote a normal elimination pattern. Although excessive intake ofstimulants such as caffeine may make the patient feel jittery and anxious, small amounts mayprovide useful stimulation. No indication exists that processed foods should be restricted. Currently what is understood to be the causation of schizophrenia? a. A combination of inherited and nongenetic factors b. Deficient amounts of the neurotransmitter dopamine c. Excessive amounts of the neurotransmitter serotonin d. Stress related and ineffective stress management skills A Which of the following would be assessed as a negative symptom of schizophrenia? a. Anhedonia b. Hostility c. Agitation d. Hallucinations A Which side effect of antipsychotic medication is generally nonreversible? a. Anticholinergic effects b. Pseudoparkinsonism c. Dystonic reaction d. Tardive dyskinesia D A client diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia tells the nurse, "I have to get away. The volmers are coming to execute me." The term "volmers" can be assessed as a. a neologism. b. clang association. c. blocking. d. a delusion. A A client diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia refuses food, stating the voices are saying the food is contaminated and deadly. Which response should the nurse provide to this client statement? a. "You are safe here in the hospital; nothing bad will happen to you." b. "The voices are wrong about the hospital food. It is not contaminated." c. "I understand that the voices are very real to you, but I do not hear them." d. "Other people are eating the food, and nothing is happening to them." C A client, who has been prescribed clozapine 6 weeks ago, reports flulike symptoms including a fever and a very sore throat, the nurse should initiate which nursing intervention? a. Suggest that the client take something for the fever and get extra rest. b. Advise the physician that the client should be admitted to the hospital. c. Arrange for the client to have blood drawn for a white blood cell count. d. Consider recommending a change of antipsychotic medication. C A client has reached the stable plateau phase of schizophrenia. What is the appropriate clinical planning focus for this client? a. Safety and crisis intervention b. Acute symptom stabilization c. Stress and vulnerability assessment d. Social, vocational, and self-care skills D