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

Don’t speak that way. Of course, you will leave here!

Keep up the good work and you will leave soon

Everyone feels that way sometimes

It sounds as though you don’t think you’re making progress?

Answer and Explanation

The Correct Answer is D

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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Correct Answer is B

Explanation

Choice A reason: GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that reduces neuronal activity, promoting calm. In fear, the sympathetic nervous system activates, increasing heart rate and blood pressure, driven by excitatory neurotransmitters, not GABA, which would counteract these effects, making this choice incorrect.

Choice B reason: Norepinephrine, a catecholamine, activates the sympathetic nervous system during fear, increasing heart rate and blood pressure via the fight-or-flight response. Its heightened activity in stress aligns with the patient’s symptoms, making this the correct neurotransmitter choice.

Choice C reason: Histamine regulates arousal and allergic responses but is not primarily responsible for cardiovascular changes in fear. Its role in the brain is less direct than norepinephrine in driving sympathetic activation, making this choice incorrect for the symptoms described.

Choice D reason: Serotonin modulates mood and anxiety but does not directly cause acute cardiovascular changes like increased heart rate and blood pressure in fear. These are driven by norepinephrine’s sympathetic activation, making serotonin an incorrect choice for this scenario.

A. Throws a heavy plate at a waiter due to command hallucinations B. Stays in their room during outpatient therapy sessions C. Requests to speak with a mental health nurse D. Plays cards alone during group therapy

Correct Answer is A

Explanation

Choice A reason: Command hallucinations directing harmful actions, like throwing a plate, indicate a severe psychotic state posing imminent danger to others. This meets criteria for emergency or involuntary admission to ensure safety and stabilize the mental illness, making this the correct choice.

Choice B reason: Staying in their room during outpatient therapy suggests withdrawal but not imminent danger. Outpatient settings allow autonomy, and this behavior does not warrant emergency admission unless accompanied by severe risk, making this choice incorrect for involuntary intervention.

Choice C reason: Requesting to speak with a nurse indicates engagement with care, not a crisis requiring emergency admission. It reflects a desire for support, not danger to self or others, making this choice inappropriate for involuntary hospitalization in mental health settings.

Choice D reason: Playing cards alone during group therapy suggests social withdrawal, not an acute crisis. This behavior does not indicate imminent danger or severe mental instability requiring emergency admission, making it incorrect compared to violent actions driven by hallucinations.

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

Nursing Test Bank

Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams

A fearful patient has an increased heart rate and blood pressure. The nurse suspects increased activity of which neurotransmitter?

Correct Answer is B

Explanation

Which individual diagnosed with a mental illness may require an emergency or involuntary admission?

Correct Answer is A

Explanation

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?

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