A nurse in a mental health clinic is reviewing laboratory results for a client who has a prescription for risperidone. For which of the following findings should the nurse notify the provider?

A. Implement measures to prevent intentional self-inflicted injury:
This choice is the priority. Individuals with borderline personality disorder are at an increased risk of self-harm and suicidal behaviors. Implementing measures to prevent intentional self-inflicted injury, such as close monitoring, removing potentially harmful objects, and creating a safe environment, is crucial to ensuring the client's safety and well-being.

B. Discuss the appropriate use of assertive behavior with the client:
Teaching assertive behavior is an important aspect of therapy for individuals with borderline personality disorder. Learning to express emotions and needs in a healthy, assertive manner can improve their interpersonal skills and relationships. However, this choice is secondary to ensuring the client's safety. Safety concerns need to be addressed before moving on to other therapeutic interventions.

C. Encourage the client to attend weekly support group meetings:
Support group meetings can provide valuable social support and a sense of belonging for individuals with borderline personality disorder. Being part of a supportive community can offer understanding and coping strategies. While this is a beneficial intervention, it is not the priority. Safety concerns and addressing self-harm risk take precedence.

D. Assist the client to maintain awareness of her thoughts and feelings:
Developing self-awareness and emotional regulation skills is essential in managing borderline personality disorder. Techniques such as mindfulness and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) can help individuals become more aware of their thoughts and emotions. While important for long-term management, this intervention is not the priority when immediate safety concerns are present. Safety should always be the first focus of care.

A. Identify the goals that the client achieved during the relationship:
This activity typically occurs during the termination or closure phase of the nurse-client relationship. It involves reflecting on the progress made by the client toward their goals. During this phase, both the nurse and the client review the goals set at the beginning of the therapeutic relationship and identify which ones have been achieved. This helps in evaluating the effectiveness of the therapeutic interventions.

B. Assist the client to make changes in her behavior:
This action is a central aspect of the working phase. In this phase, the nurse and client collaboratively work on addressing the client's issues. The nurse provides support, guidance, and appropriate interventions to help the client modify their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. The goal is to facilitate positive changes and promote the client's mental and emotional well-being.

C. Inform the client about confidentiality issues:
Discussing confidentiality is essential at the beginning of the therapeutic relationship, during the orientation phase. The nurse informs the client about the limits of confidentiality, explaining what information will be kept confidential and under what circumstances confidentiality might need to be breached (such as when there is a risk of harm to the client or others). This discussion helps establish trust and clear boundaries within the relationship.

D. Discuss the client's responsibilities for the relationship:
Clarifying the client's responsibilities occurs primarily during the orientation phase. In this phase, the nurse outlines what the client can expect from the therapeutic relationship and what is expected from them. This includes discussing the client's active participation in the process, their commitment to attending sessions, being open and honest, and actively engaging in therapeutic activities and homework assignments.