Comprehensive Mental Health Exit HESI – Saunders Final Exam 2024

The home care nurse is visiting an older client whose spouse died 6 months ago. Which behavior by the client indicates ineffective coping? 1. Neglecting personal grooming 2. Looking at old snapshots of family 3. Participating in a senior citizens' program 4. Visiting their spouse's grave once a month - 1. Neglecting personal grooming Rational: Coping mechanisms are behaviors used to decrease stress and anxiety. In response to a death, ineffective coping is manifested by an extreme behavior that in some cases may be harmful to the individual physically or psychologically. The correct option is indicative of a behavior that identifies an ineffective coping behavior in the grieving process. A client with a diagnosis of major 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 demonstrates 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. "You've been feeling like a failure for a while?" 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 client's experience and do not facilitate exploration of the client's expressed feelings. In addition, use of the word "why" is nontherapeutic. When the mental health 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 illustrates a therapeutic communication response to this client? 1. "I see." 2. "Really?" 3. "You're having difficulty sleeping?" 4. "Sometimes, I have trouble sleeping too." - 3. "You're having difficulty sleeping?" Rationale: