A nurse is caring for a patient with a mental health disorder. Which approach best supports therapeutic care?

Adopt a neutral attitude when providing care

Check on the patient throughout the day for brief interactions

Discuss the patient’s feelings with an authorized individual

Share personal mental health information with the patient

Answer and Explanation

The Correct Answer is A

Choice A reason: A neutral attitude in psychiatric nursing maintains professional boundaries and objectivity, preventing bias or emotional entanglement. This fosters a therapeutic environment, allowing patients to express feelings without judgment, aligning with principles of therapeutic communication and mental health care, making this the correct choice.

Choice B reason: Brief check-ins, while useful, may not provide the depth needed for therapeutic care in mental health settings. Consistent, meaningful engagement is more effective for building trust and addressing complex emotional needs, making this approach less optimal compared to maintaining neutrality.

Choice C reason: Discussing a patient’s feelings with another individual risks breaching confidentiality unless authorized by the patient or legally required. This violates ethical standards in mental health care, which prioritize privacy, making this approach non-therapeutic and incorrect for supporting patient care.

Choice D reason: Sharing personal mental health information blurs professional boundaries, potentially shifting focus from the patient’s needs to the nurse’s experiences. This undermines therapeutic communication and objectivity, risking patient trust and care quality, making this approach inappropriate and incorrect.

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Correct Answer is A

Explanation

Choice A reason: Listening to the patient’s problems conveys empathy and presence, key to perceived caring in psychiatric nursing. This fosters a therapeutic alliance, reducing feelings of isolation and enhancing trust, aligning with patient-centered care principles, making this the correct choice for perceived caring.

Choice B reason: Linking medication compliance to discharge may feel coercive, not caring. It focuses on outcomes rather than emotional support, failing to validate the patient’s feelings, which is critical for perceived caring in mental health settings, making this choice incorrect.

Choice C reason: Explaining the treatment plan and seeking input shows collaboration, which is therapeutic but less emotionally focused than listening. While patient-centered, it emphasizes planning over emotional connection, making it less indicative of perceived caring compared to attentive listening.

Choice D reason: Asking about juice preferences shows attention to detail but is task-oriented, not emotionally supportive. Caring is better demonstrated through emotional engagement, like listening, which addresses the patient’s psychological needs more directly, making this choice less relevant.

A. Don’t speak that way. Of course, you will leave here! B. Keep up the good work and you will leave soon C. Everyone feels that way sometimes D. It sounds as though you don’t think you’re making progress?

Correct Answer is D

Explanation

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

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A nurse is caring for a patient with a mental health disorder. Which approach best supports therapeutic care?

Nursing Test Bank

Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams

Which comment indicates the patient perceived the nurse was caring?

Correct Answer is A

Explanation

A patient tells the nurse, "I don’t think I’ll ever get out of here." Select the nurse’s most therapeutic response.

Correct Answer is D

Explanation

A nurse is conducting a mental health assessment for a patient reporting persistent feelings of hopelessness. Which intervention best aligns with evidence-based practice for addressing this symptom?

A patient asks, "What are neurotransmitters? My doctor said mine are imbalanced." Select the nurse’s best response.

Applying a bitter substance to the nails for people who tend to bite their nails is a form of which type of therapy?

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Which scenario best depicts a behavioral crisis?

Hildegard Peplau came up with the phases of the nurse-patient relationship. What does the nurse address during the orientation phase with a patient diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder?

Which of the following are examples of a nurse using non-therapeutic communication techniques? (Select all that apply)

A nurse uses Maslow's hierarchy of needs to plan care for a patient diagnosed with mental illness. Which problem will receive priority?