A client is exhibiting signs of severe anxiety, including hyperventilation, restlessness, and difficulty concentrating. Which communication approach should the nurse use to effectively support the client during this crisis?

Encourage the client to discuss all their worries in detail to process their feelings.

Provide extensive information about anxiety disorders and treatment options.

Use a calm, simple, and clear tone, offering brief and direct instructions.

Use rapid, reassuring statements to quickly calm the client down.

Answer and Explanation

The Correct Answer is C

Choice A reason: When anxiety is severe, the client cannot focus or process complex discussions. Asking them to explore worries may overwhelm them further.

Choice B reason: Providing extensive information is inappropriate in crisis moments because the client’s concentration and comprehension are impaired.

Choice C reason: Clear, calm, and brief communication helps reduce overstimulation, provides structure, and reassures the client during high anxiety. This is the most therapeutic choice.

Choice D reason: Rapid statements can escalate the client’s sense of being overwhelmed, increasing anxiety rather than calming it.

Nursing Test Bank

Quiz #1: RN Exams Pharmacology Exams Quiz #2: RN Exams Medical-Surgical Exams Quiz #3: RN Exams Fundamentals Exams Quiz #4: RN Exams Maternal-Newborn Exams Quiz #5: RN Exams Anatomy and Physiology Exams Quiz #6: RN Exams Obstetrics and Pediatrics Exams Quiz #7: RN Exams Fluid and Electrolytes Exams Quiz #8: RN Exams Community Health Exams Quiz #9: RN Exams Promoting Health across the lifespan Exams Quiz #10: RN Exams Multidimensional care Exams

Get 100+ Naxlex Exit Exams for $79 Try Naxlex NCLEX-RN (14 Day Free-Trial)

Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams

Quiz #1: Naxlex RN Comprehensive online practice 2019 B with NGN Quiz #2: Naxlex RN Comprehensive Predictor 2023 Quiz #3: Naxlex RN Comprehensive Predictor 2023 Exit Exam A Quiz #4: Naxlex HESI Exit LPN Exam Quiz #5: Naxlex PN Comprehensive Predictor PN 2020 Quiz #6: Naxlex VATI PN Comprehensive Predictor 2020 Quiz #8: Naxlex PN Comprehensive Predictor 2023 - Exam 1 Quiz #10: Naxlex HESI PN Exit exam Quiz #11: Naxlex HESI PN EXIT Exam 2

Free Nursing Study Resources

Correct Answer is B

Explanation

Choice A reason: Forcibly removing the client escalates anxiety and can increase resistance. This action does not support therapeutic management of OCD.

Choice B reason: Providing a clear, respectful, and time-limited reminder supports structure and helps the client redirect behavior without confrontation. It balances therapeutic boundaries with empathy.

Choice C reason: Dismissing the client’s concern as unreasonable invalidates their experience, increasing defensiveness and mistrust. This does not support treatment goals.

Choice D reason: Avoiding the problem by redirecting the roommate fails to address the client’s compulsive behavior and disrupts the care environment.

A. "You’re imagining that. No one is trying to hurt you." B. "This is your prescribed antipsychotic medication." C. "I can’t discuss what the medication is because it might upset you." D. "Don’t worry. This medication is just to help you sleep."

Correct Answer is B

Explanation

Choice A reason: Dismissing the client’s concern as imagination invalidates their feelings and does not uphold honesty, which may worsen paranoia.

Choice B reason: Veracity means truthfulness. Clearly identifying the medication as prescribed treatment provides honest information while supporting trust.

Choice C reason: Withholding information violates both client rights and the ethical principle of veracity. Clients have the right to know what medications they receive.

Choice D reason: Misrepresenting the purpose of the drug undermines trust and is dishonest, which goes against ethical standards.

View Question and Answer

Whether you are a student looking to ace your exams or a practicing nurse seeking to enhance your expertise , our nursing education contents will empower you with the confidence and competence to make a difference in the lives of patients and become a respected leader in the healthcare field.

Visit Naxlex, invest in your future and unlock endless possibilities with our unparalleled nursing education contents today

A client is exhibiting signs of severe anxiety, including hyperventilation, restlessness, and difficulty concentrating. Which communication approach should the nurse use to effectively support the client during this crisis?

Nursing Test Bank

Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams

Correct Answer is B

Explanation

A client with schizophrenia who has a history of paranoid delusions asks the nurse, "Are you giving me something to poison me?" The nurse knows the client is receiving an antipsychotic medication. Applying the ethical principle of veracity, which response by the nurse is most appropriate?

Correct Answer is B

Explanation

A client charged with assault pleads not guilty by reason of insanity under the Durham Rule. Which statement best reflects the criteria used in this legal standard?

A nurse working in a psychiatric unit discovers that a client has disclosed intentions to harm a specific person outside the hospital. Balancing ethical principles, what is the nurse’s most appropriate action?

A client in the psychiatric unit is experiencing severe anxiety—they are trembling, pacing, and saying, "I can’t think straight. I feel like something terrible is going to happen." Which of the following is the most therapeutic response by the nurse?

A nurse is caring for a client recently diagnosed with panic disorder. The provider has prescribed pharmacologic treatment. Which of the following medications are commonly used in the treatment of panic disorder? (Select all that apply.)

A nurse is educating a client who has been prescribed phenelzine, an MAOI, for treatment-resistant depression. Which of the following instructions is most critical to prevent potentially life-threatening complications associated with this medication?

A nurse is caring for a client who states, "I have no interest in sexual activity or finding a partner." The nurse should identify that this statement is consistent with which of the following personality disorders?

The nurse is developing a plan of care for a 16-year-old client with bulimia nervosa. Which interventions would be included in the plan of care? (Select all that apply.)