A nurse instructs a patient taking a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) drug to avoid certain foods and drugs because of the risk of which condition?

Choice A reason: Dismissing the patient’s feelings by saying they will leave is non-therapeutic, as it invalidates their emotions. Therapeutic communication requires empathy and exploration of feelings, not reassurance that may feel dismissive, as it fails to address the patient’s underlying concerns, making this choice incorrect.

Choice B reason: Encouraging effort with a promise of discharge is overly optimistic and may pressure the patient, ignoring their emotional state. Therapeutic responses focus on understanding feelings, not conditional reassurance, which can undermine trust in psychiatric care, making this response non-therapeutic and incorrect.

Choice C reason: Generalizing the patient’s feelings as common minimizes their unique experience, reducing therapeutic engagement. It fails to explore the patient’s specific concerns or foster a trusting nurse-patient relationship, which is critical in mental health care, making this response non-therapeutic and incorrect.

Choice D reason: Reflecting the patient’s statement by exploring perceived lack of progress demonstrates active listening and empathy, key to therapeutic communication. It encourages the patient to elaborate on feelings, fostering trust and insight, aligning with psychiatric nursing principles, making this the most therapeutic and correct

Choice A reason: Basic-level nurses, such as LPNs or RNs, can teach coping skills, a standard intervention within their scope. This involves education on stress management, aligning with psychiatric nursing roles to support patient and family well-being, making this the correct choice.

Choice B reason: Treating major depressive disorder requires advanced skills, like prescribing or managing complex therapies, which is beyond a basic-level nurse’s scope. This is typically reserved for advanced practice nurses or physicians, making this choice incorrect.

Choice C reason: Prescribing antidepressants is restricted to advanced practice nurses or physicians, not basic-level nurses. This task involves medical decision-making outside the scope of RNs or LPNs, making it unsafe and inappropriate, thus incorrect.

Choice D reason: Assessing suicide risk requires advanced clinical judgment, often reserved for advanced practice nurses or psychiatrists. While basic-level nurses can observe and report, formal assessment exceeds their scope, making this choice incorrect for their role.