Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing Flashcards
7 cards from real NCLEX practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing flashcards as text
A client taking phenelzine (an MAOI) asks which food is safe to eat. Which response is correct?
Answer: Fresh grilled chicken
Tyramine-rich foods like aged cheese, cured meats, and fermented products can trigger hypertensive crisis with MAOIs, while fresh chicken is safe.
A client on lithium reports nausea, coarse tremor, and slurred speech. What is the nurse's priority action?
Answer: Hold the dose and obtain a lithium level
Coarse tremor, slurred speech, and GI symptoms indicate lithium toxicity, so the nurse should hold the medication and check the serum level.
Which therapeutic serum lithium range is considered safe for maintenance therapy?
Answer: 0.6-1.2 mEq/L
The maintenance therapeutic range for lithium is 0.6-1.2 mEq/L, with toxicity rising above 1.5 mEq/L.
A client experiencing a panic attack is hyperventilating and feels they are 'going to die.' What is the nurse's best initial intervention?
Answer: Stay with the client and speak in short, calm directions
During a panic attack the nurse should remain present and use short, calm, simple directions to help the client regain control.
A nurse is teaching about sertraline, an SSRI. Which symptom cluster should the client report immediately as possible serotonin syndrome?
Answer: Agitation, hyperthermia, and muscle rigidity
Serotonin syndrome presents with agitation, hyperthermia, autonomic instability, and muscle rigidity and requires immediate attention.
A client with anorexia nervosa is hospitalized. Which assessment finding is the most immediate concern?
Answer: Serum potassium of 2.5 mEq/L
A potassium of 2.5 mEq/L is severe hypokalemia that can cause life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias and is the priority.
Which communication technique demonstrates therapeutic use of silence?
Answer: Allowing the client time to reflect before responding
Therapeutic silence gives the client time to gather thoughts and reflect, signaling the nurse's willingness to listen.