An adolescent male who was arrested a month ago for gang-related activities has a court order to attend weekly group therapy sessions at the mental health clinic. Today his mother calls the clinic nurse to report that her son became angry last night and put his fist through a window. Which intervention is most important for the nurse to implement?

A male client arrives at the mental health clinic and asks the nurse for more lithium and the antidepressant amitriptyline that he uses to help him sleep. After reviewing the assessment findings with the healthcare provider, a serum creatinine is obtained. Which information supports the reason for this laboratory test?

A female client with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder is admitted to the hospital for a cardiac catheterization. The afternoon before the procedure, the client begins to keep detailed notes of the nursing care she is receiving, and reports her findings to the nurse at bedtime. What action should the nurse implement?

A client with paranoia is admitted to the mental health unit and immediately goes to the corner of the room and sits quietly without communicating. In approaching the client, what intervention should the nurse implement first?

A male client with schizophrenia continues to talk to others on the mental health unit using tangential speech. What intervention should the nurse implement?

When a male client is asked about his reason for coming to the mental health clinic, he replies, “It all started because I work in a hostile work environment. My boss would not let me go to a religious service, so I went to human resources, and they didn’t want to do anything. It has been a really difficult time for me.” Which response should the nurse provide?

During a one-to-one session with the nurse, a female client admitted for chronic depression and attempted suicide discloses experiences of sexual promiscuity and prostitution. When the nurse asks the client if she was ever sexually abused as a child, the client says, “I don’t remember, but my mother ran my father off when I was five.” The nurse should recognize that the client may be using which defense mechanism?

The nurse is caring for a client who is a refugee from another country and who is experiencing daily episodes of anxiety. The client communicates minimally with the nurse, looking away and appearing distressed. Which intervention is most important for the nurse to do first?

Naloxone is administered to an adult client following a suicide attempt with an overdose of hydrocodone bitartrate. Within 15 minutes, the client is alert and oriented. In planning nursing care, which intervention has the highest priority at this time?

The nurse develops a plan of care for a female client who scratches her wrists in attempts to deal with anxiety. Which client outcome is most important to include in the plan of care?

A male client with known auditory hallucinations begins talking loudly and gesturing wildly while in the unit’s day room. Which action should the nurse implement first?