Supportive Learning Activity Principles of MH Nursing

A nurse is conducting a health history interview with a new client admitted to the psychiatric unit. The client appears withdrawn, avoids eye contact, and gives minimal, one-word answers. Which of the following components of communication is the nurse primarily struggling to establish with this client?

• Feedback

• Sender

• Receiver

• Message

During a group therapy session, a client states, "I just feel so alone, like no one understands what I'm going through." The nurse facilitating the group responds, "It sounds like you're feeling isolated and unheard right now." Which essential component of communication is the nurse primarily demonstrating?

• Encoding

• Decoding

• Feedback

• Channel

A psychiatric-mental health nurse is meeting a new client for the first time. The nurse introduces themselves, explains their role, and sets the boundaries of confidentiality and meeting times. In which phase of the nurse-client therapeutic relationship is the nurse currently functioning?

• Working phase

• Orientation phase

• Termination phase

• Pre-interaction phase

A client with severe anxiety has been working with a psychiatric nurse for several weeks, exploring coping mechanisms and processing past traumas. The client frequently discusses personal fears and trusts the nurse's guidance. The nurse recognizes that the client is demonstrating increased independence and fewer symptoms. In which phase of the therapeutic relationship are they most likely engaged?

• Orientation phase

• Pre-interaction phase

• Working phase

• Termination phase

A client experiences a sudden onset of intense fear, heart palpitations, and shortness of breath when confronted with a stressful situation. The nurse understands that which area of the brain is primarily responsible for processing these immediate "fight or flight" emotional responses?

• Frontal lobe

• Cerebellum

• Amygdala

• Hippocampus

A nurse is caring for a client who sustained a traumatic brain injury. The client now exhibits significant difficulty with impulse control, judgment, and executive functions, often leading to socially inappropriate behaviors. The nurse correlates these changes with damage to which lobe of the brain?

• Parietal lobe

• Occipital lobe

• Temporal lobe

• Frontal lobe

A client diagnosed with major depressive disorder is prescribed an antidepressant medication that primarily increases the availability of serotonin in the brain. The nurse understands that the therapeutic effect of this medication is linked to serotonin's role in regulating which of the following?

• Muscle movement and pleasure

• Sleep, mood, and appetite

• Alertness and arousal

• Pain perception and memory

A nurse is teaching a client newly diagnosed with schizophrenia about their prescribed antipsychotic medication. The nurse explains that typical antipsychotics primarily target which neurotransmitter to reduce positive symptoms like hallucinations and delusions?

• Serotonin

• Norepinephrine

• Histamine

• Dopamine

A client with schizophrenia is prescribed olanzapine. The nurse understands that this medication is classified as which type of antipsychotic and why it might be preferred over older medications?

• Typical antipsychotic; primarily effective for negative symptoms.

• Atypical antipsychotic; generally has fewer extrapyramidal side effects.

• Typical antipsychotic; causes significant weight loss.

• Atypical antipsychotic; requires regular blood level monitoring for toxicity.

A client receiving haloperidol for acute psychosis develops muscle rigidity, tremor, and shuffling gait. The nurse identifies these symptoms as extrapyramidal side effects (EPS). The nurse anticipates that the healthcare provider will likely order which type of medication to help manage these side effects?

• An atypical antipsychotic

• An anticholinergic medication (e.g., benztropine)

• A selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)

• A mood stabilizer