A nurse is preparing to administer methylprednisolone 10 mg IV bolus. The amount available from the pharmacy is 40 mg/mL. How many mL should the nurse administer? (Round to the nearest tenth.)

Choice A reason: Divorce represents distress, not eustress, as it triggers negative emotional responses via heightened cortisol and amygdala activity, disrupting serotonin and dopamine balance. This chronic stress impairs prefrontal cortex function, leading to emotional dysregulation, unlike eustress, which promotes positive motivation and growth.

Choice B reason: Job loss threat is distress, activating the HPA axis to release cortisol, increasing amygdala-driven anxiety. This disrupts serotonin signaling, impairing mood regulation, and does not foster positive motivation or growth, unlike eustress, which involves beneficial stress enhancing performance without overwhelming neural systems.

Choice C reason: Financial strain is distress, elevating cortisol via HPA axis activation, increasing amygdala activity, and reducing prefrontal control, leading to anxiety. Unlike eustress, which promotes motivation through manageable challenges, this scenario causes negative emotional responses, disrupting serotonin and dopamine balance, impairing coping mechanisms.

Choice D reason: Learning new skills for a promotion is eustress, activating moderate HPA axis responses and dopamine release in the reward system, enhancing motivation and prefrontal cortex function. This positive stress promotes neuroplasticity, improving cognitive adaptability and emotional resilience, unlike distress, which overwhelms neural regulatory systems.

Choice A reason: Auditory hallucinations are positive symptoms of schizophrenia, driven by mesolimbic dopamine excess, causing sensory perceptions without stimuli. They reflect hyperactive neural signaling, not the diminished motivation or functioning characteristic of negative symptoms, making this incorrect.

Choice B reason: Threatening behavior is a positive symptom, reflecting dopamine-driven impulsivity and agitation in schizophrenia’s mesolimbic pathway. Negative symptoms involve deficits like apathy, not active behaviors, making this choice unrelated to negative symptom criteria.

Choice C reason: Delusions of grandeur are positive symptoms, stemming from excessive dopamine in the mesolimbic system, causing exaggerated beliefs. Negative symptoms involve reduced emotional or behavioral expression, not active psychotic beliefs, making this choice incorrect.

Choice D reason: Poor personal hygiene is a negative symptom of schizophrenia, reflecting reduced motivation and self-care due to prefrontal cortex dopamine hypofunction. This deficit in volition and functioning aligns with negative symptoms, distinguishing it from positive symptoms like hallucinations.