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ATI Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders
and Psychosis QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS ALREADY GRADED
A+,Exams of nursing.
A nurse is evaluating a client for schizophrenia and asks the client about their work, social, and
home life. For which of the following reasons should the nurse ask about these topics?
a. To gather information that assists in billing
b. To gather criteria to be included in the client's relapse prevention plan
c. To gather insight into the client's background in order to guide care
d. To gather standard information during the exploitation phase of the client-nurse relationship -
answer..,c. To gather insight into the client's background in order to guide care
Rational: Information provides insight into the full client history and is used to guide client-
centered and compassionate holistic nursing care and to understand the client's experiences.
A nurse is caring for a client who is at risk for developing schizophrenia. Which of the following
findings should the nurse identify as an environmental risk factor?
a. Tobacco use
b. Drinking alcohol
c. Exposure to lead
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d. Using cannabis - answer..,d. Using cannabis
Rational: Using cannabis is an environmental risk factor for individuals who are genetically or
otherwise predisposed to developing schizophrenia.
A nurse is caring for a client who is being evaluated for schizophrenia spectrum disorder. Which
of the following is used to determine a diagnosis for schizophrenia?
a. Reality testing
b. Laboratory testing
c. Neurological testing
d. Clinical observation - answer..,d. Clinical observation
Rational: There is no laboratory test that can provide a definitive diagnosis of schizophrenia, so
observation and ruling out other medical conditions and substance exposure provides diagnosis.
A nurse is caring for a client who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Which of the
following findings indicates that they client is in the residual phase of the disorder?
a. No longer showing any noticeable negative symptoms
b. Experiencing regular delusions and hallucinations
c. Extended periods of disorganized thought and speech
d. Decline in symptoms of psychosis - answer..,d. Decline in symptoms of psychosis
Rational: A nurse should expect a client who is in the residual phase of schizophrenia to exhibit
less severe and regular psychotic symptoms.
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A nurse is instructing a client who is experiencing hallucinations about medication use. Which of
the following statements should the nurse make?
a. "Over-the-counter medications do not generally cause hallucinations."
b. "Both prescription and over-the-counter medications can sometimes cause hallucinations in
some people."
c. "Hallucinations from medication are extremely rare."
d. "Hallucinations are only caused by acute toxicity from a medication." - answer..,b. "Both
prescription and over-the-counter medications can sometimes cause hallucinations in some
people."
Rational: Both prescription and over-the-counter medications have been reported to cause
hallucinations in some people.
A nurse is caring for a client who has schizophrenia. Which of the following describes the
physiological changes caused by exposure to risk factors for this disorder?
a. Increased volume in the hippocampus of the brain
b. Decreased grey matter volume in the brain
c. Structural changes in the part of the brain that regulates impulse control
d. Increased volume of the frontal cortex - answer..,b. Decreased grey matter volume in the brain
ATI Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders
and Psychosis QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS ALREADY GRADED
A+,Exams of nursing.
A nurse is evaluating a client for schizophrenia and asks the client about their work, social, and
home life. For which of the following reasons should the nurse ask about these topics?
a. To gather information that assists in billing
b. To gather criteria to be included in the client's relapse prevention plan
c. To gather insight into the client's background in order to guide care
d. To gather standard information during the exploitation phase of the client-nurse relationship -
answer..,c. To gather insight into the client's background in order to guide care
Rational: Information provides insight into the full client history and is used to guide client-
centered and compassionate holistic nursing care and to understand the client's experiences.
A nurse is caring for a client who is at risk for developing schizophrenia. Which of the following
findings should the nurse identify as an environmental risk factor?
a. Tobacco use
b. Drinking alcohol
c. Exposure to lead
,2|Page
d. Using cannabis - answer..,d. Using cannabis
Rational: Using cannabis is an environmental risk factor for individuals who are genetically or
otherwise predisposed to developing schizophrenia.
A nurse is caring for a client who is being evaluated for schizophrenia spectrum disorder. Which
of the following is used to determine a diagnosis for schizophrenia?
a. Reality testing
b. Laboratory testing
c. Neurological testing
d. Clinical observation - answer..,d. Clinical observation
Rational: There is no laboratory test that can provide a definitive diagnosis of schizophrenia, so
observation and ruling out other medical conditions and substance exposure provides diagnosis.
A nurse is caring for a client who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Which of the
following findings indicates that they client is in the residual phase of the disorder?
a. No longer showing any noticeable negative symptoms
b. Experiencing regular delusions and hallucinations
c. Extended periods of disorganized thought and speech
d. Decline in symptoms of psychosis - answer..,d. Decline in symptoms of psychosis
Rational: A nurse should expect a client who is in the residual phase of schizophrenia to exhibit
less severe and regular psychotic symptoms.
, 3|Page
A nurse is instructing a client who is experiencing hallucinations about medication use. Which of
the following statements should the nurse make?
a. "Over-the-counter medications do not generally cause hallucinations."
b. "Both prescription and over-the-counter medications can sometimes cause hallucinations in
some people."
c. "Hallucinations from medication are extremely rare."
d. "Hallucinations are only caused by acute toxicity from a medication." - answer..,b. "Both
prescription and over-the-counter medications can sometimes cause hallucinations in some
people."
Rational: Both prescription and over-the-counter medications have been reported to cause
hallucinations in some people.
A nurse is caring for a client who has schizophrenia. Which of the following describes the
physiological changes caused by exposure to risk factors for this disorder?
a. Increased volume in the hippocampus of the brain
b. Decreased grey matter volume in the brain
c. Structural changes in the part of the brain that regulates impulse control
d. Increased volume of the frontal cortex - answer..,b. Decreased grey matter volume in the brain
