Mental Health Nursing Flashcards

A patient with major depressive disorder is started on an SSRI. The nurse should teach the patient that the antidepressant effect typically takes:

Answer: 2–4 weeks

SSRIs take 2–4 weeks to show initial antidepressant effects, with full therapeutic benefit often at 6–8 weeks.

A patient with anorexia nervosa is admitted weighing 82 lbs at 5'4". Which initial intervention is the priority?

Answer: Assess and stabilize vital signs and electrolytes

Physiologic stabilization — addressing electrolyte imbalances, hypotension, and cardiac dysrhythmias — is the priority in severe anorexia nervosa.

A patient with borderline personality disorder repeatedly calls the nursing station requesting different nurses. The most therapeutic response is to:

Answer: Maintain consistent staff assignments and clear limits

Consistency and limit-setting are the cornerstones of care for borderline personality disorder to address splitting behavior.

A patient is prescribed a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI). Which food must be strictly avoided?

Answer: Aged cheeses and cured meats

MAOIs combined with tyramine-rich foods (aged cheeses, cured meats) can cause a hypertensive crisis.

A nurse is caring for a patient who was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric unit. Which patient right must still be upheld?

Answer: The right to communicate with an attorney

Even involuntarily committed patients retain the right to legal counsel and communication with an attorney.

A patient with OCD spends 3 hours each morning washing their hands until bleeding occurs. The most evidence-based therapeutic approach is:

Answer: Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the gold-standard psychotherapy for OCD, gradually exposing the patient to triggers without allowing compulsive rituals.