Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: Saunders NCLEX Review Exam Questions Correctly Answered!!

A client with a diagnosis of depression who has attempted suicide says to the nurse, "I should have died. I've always been a failure. Nothing ever goes right for me." Which response by the nurse demon- strates therapeutic communication? 1. "You have everything to live for." 2. "Why do you see yourself as a failure?" 3. "Feeling like this is all part of being depressed." 4. "You've been feeling like a failure for a while?" - 4 Rationale: Responding to the feelings expressed by a client is an effective therapeutic communication technique. The correct option is an example of the use of restating. The remaining options block communication because they minimize the cli- ent's experience and do not facilitate exploration of the client's expressed feelings. In addition, use of the word why is nontherapeutic. The nurse visits a client at home. The client states, "I haven't slept at all the last couple of nights." Which response by the nurse demonstrates thera- peutic communication? 1. "I see." 2. "Really?" 3. "You're having difficulty sleeping?" 4. "Sometimes I have trouble sleeping too." - 3 Rationale: The correct option uses the therapeutic communica- tion technique of restatement. Although restatement is a tech- nique that has a prompting component to it, it repeats the client's major theme, which assists the nurse to obtain a more specific perception of the problem from the client. The remaining options are not therapeutic responses since none encourages the client to expand on the problem. Offering personal experi- ences moves the focus away from the client and onto the nurse.A client experiencing disturbed thought processes believes that his food is being poisoned. Which communication technique should the nurse use to encourage the client to eat? 1. Using open-ended questions and silence 2. Sharing personal preference regarding food choices 3. Documenting reasons why the client does not want to eat 4. Offering opinions about the necessity of adequate nutrition - 1