Mental Health Nursing Concepts Flashcards

A nurse is working with a client who has borderline personality disorder. Which therapeutic approach is most effective for this population?

Answer: Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)

Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) is the evidence-based treatment of choice for borderline personality disorder, focusing on emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.

A client refuses to take their prescribed antipsychotic medication. Under which circumstance may the nurse administer medication without consent?

Answer: When the client poses an imminent danger to themselves or others

Involuntary medication administration is legally and ethically justifiable only when a client presents an imminent risk of harm to themselves or others.

A nurse observes a client with anorexia nervosa hiding food in napkins during mealtime. What is the most appropriate nursing response?

Answer: Document the behaviour and report it to the treatment team

Documenting and reporting the behaviour ensures the treatment team can address it therapeutically as part of the client's care plan without punitive action.

During a mental status examination, a client jumps rapidly from topic to topic with no apparent logical connection. The nurse documents this as:

Answer: Flight of ideas

Flight of ideas is characterized by rapidly shifting from one topic to another with minimal logical connection, commonly seen in mania.

A nurse is implementing suicide precautions. Which environmental modification is the highest priority?

Answer: Conducting room searches and removing sharp objects and ligatures

Removing all potentially lethal means, including sharps and ligatures, is the highest-priority environmental intervention to reduce suicide risk.

A client with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) spends three hours each morning performing hand-washing rituals. The nurse understands that the ritual functions primarily to:

Answer: Temporarily relieve the anxiety caused by obsessive thoughts

Compulsive rituals in OCD temporarily reduce the intense anxiety generated by intrusive obsessive thoughts, reinforcing the compulsive behaviour cycle.

A nurse is caring for a client who is experiencing grief after a significant loss. Which statement by the nurse is most appropriate?

Answer: 'I'm here with you. Tell me what you're experiencing.'

Offering presence and inviting the client to share their experience is the most therapeutic response, demonstrating empathy and active listening without minimizing grief.