A patient with acute depression states, "God is punishing me for my past sins." What is the nurse's most therapeutic response?
"If you feel this way, you should talk to your minister."
"You sound very upset about this."
"Why do you think you are being punished?"
"God always forgives us for our sins."
The Correct Answer is B
A. Referring the patient to a minister avoids the nurse’s responsibility to provide immediate therapeutic support.
B. This response reflects the patient’s feelings and encourages further expression, which is therapeutic in depression.
C. Asking “why” can feel judgmental and place the patient on the defensive, which is non-therapeutic.
D. Giving false reassurance or imposing religious beliefs does not address the patient’s feelings and may shut down communication.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is A
Explanation
A. The highest priority is monitoring for refeeding syndrome, a potentially fatal complication when nutrition is reintroduced after prolonged starvation. It causes severe electrolyte shifts (especially hypophosphatemia, hypokalemia, and hypomagnesemia) and cardiac/respiratory complications.
B. Important, but not priority. Therapeutic communication builds trust, but physiological safety is the first concern.
C. Help the patient balance energy expenditures with caloric intake. – Useful long-term. This supports recovery but is not immediately life-saving.
D. Assess for depression and anxiety. – Necessary, but secondary. Mental health evaluation is part of holistic care, but immediate physical safety takes precedence.
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
A. Magical thinking involves believing that one’s thoughts or actions can cause events to occur in a way that defies logic (e.g., thinking stepping on a crack will break someone’s leg), which is not evident here.
B. Associative looseness refers to fragmented, disorganized, or illogical thinking that affects speech, not the perception of others’ behavior.
C. Ideas of reference occur when a person believes that unrelated events or actions of others are directed at them personally. In this scenario, the client interprets the group’s laughter as being about them, which exemplifies this characteristic.
D. Delusions of grandeur involve exaggerated beliefs about one’s own importance, power, or identity, which does not apply in this situation.
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