A patient with PTSD from a previous disaster experience presents with symptoms of flashbacks and hypervigilance. As a nurse, what initial approach should you take?
Immediately refer to psychiatric care without engagement
Discuss potential triggers extensively with the patient
Provide a calm environment and reassure safety
Encourage exposure to similar scenarios to desensitize
The Correct Answer is C
Choice A reason: Immediate psychiatric referral without engagement skips assessment, risking inappropriate care. PTSD involves amygdala-driven hyperarousal, requiring initial stabilization. Scientifically, bypassing patient interaction may delay addressing specific trauma triggers, leaving neurobiological stress responses, like cortisol spikes, unmanaged, hindering effective PTSD recovery.
Choice B reason: Discussing triggers extensively risks re-traumatization, intensifying flashbacks. Scientifically, premature focus on triggers heightens amygdala activity and cortisol, worsening PTSD symptoms. Stabilization through a calm environment is needed first to regulate emotional responses, ensuring readiness for trigger-focused therapy later in treatment.
Choice C reason: A calm environment and reassurance reduce hypervigilance and flashbacks by lowering amygdala activity. Scientifically, this stabilizes cortisol levels, promoting emotional regulation in PTSD. Creating safety mitigates trauma’s neurobiological impact, fostering trust and supporting initial recovery by preventing escalation of stress-related symptoms.
Choice D reason: Encouraging exposure to similar scenarios is premature, risking severe distress. Scientifically, uncontrolled exposure heightens amygdala-driven fear responses, exacerbating PTSD symptoms like flashbacks. Structured exposure therapy requires stabilization first, as premature desensitization can overwhelm coping mechanisms, delaying psychological recovery.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is A
Explanation
Choice A reason: Haloperidol 5 mg per dose with a 1 mg/mL concentration requires 5 mL (5 mg ÷ 1 mg/mL). This antipsychotic stabilizes dopamine pathways in schizophrenia, reducing psychotic symptoms. Scientifically, accurate dosing ensures therapeutic receptor antagonism, controlling hallucinations while avoiding side effects like extrapyramidal symptoms, supporting mental health stability.
Choice B reason: Two mL (2 mg) underdoses the prescribed 5 mg, reducing efficacy. Haloperidol’s dopamine antagonism is critical for schizophrenia management. Scientifically, insufficient dosing fails to control psychotic symptoms, as subtherapeutic levels do not adequately block dopamine receptors, risking symptom persistence and worsening mental health outcomes.
Choice C reason: Ten mL (10 mg) per dose doubles the prescribed amount, risking toxicity. Haloperidol overdosing can cause severe extrapyramidal symptoms or neuroleptic malignant syndrome. Scientifically, excessive dopamine blockade disrupts neural balance, leading to neurological complications, making precise dosing essential for safe schizophrenia treatment.
Choice D reason: Three mL (3 mg) underdoses the required 5 mg, compromising efficacy. Haloperidol’s therapeutic effect relies on sufficient dopamine receptor antagonism. Scientifically, subtherapeutic dosing fails to stabilize neural hyperactivity, risking persistent psychotic symptoms like hallucinations, undermining effective management of schizophrenia and patient stability.
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
Choice A reason: Group therapy is inappropriate during acute alcohol withdrawal with confusion and hallucinations. These symptoms indicate delirium tremens, involving GABA and glutamate imbalances. Scientifically, group settings may overwhelm, increasing stress and cortisol, worsening neural excitability and delaying stabilization of withdrawal-related neurobiological symptoms.
Choice B reason: A high-calorie diet supports recovery but isn’t the priority during acute withdrawal. Confusion and hallucinations reflect severe GABA dysregulation. Scientifically, nutritional support addresses long-term deficits but doesn’t manage acute neurochemical imbalances, risking prolonged delirium tremens without immediate pharmacological intervention.
Choice C reason: Administering benzodiazepines stabilizes acute alcohol withdrawal by enhancing GABA activity, reducing neural excitability. Scientifically, this prevents seizures and delirium tremens, addressing glutamate-driven hyperactivity. Prompt administration ensures safety, mitigating severe withdrawal symptoms and supporting neurobiological stabilization during critical alcohol detoxification phases.
Choice D reason: Reassurance is supportive but secondary to managing acute withdrawal. Hallucinations and confusion stem from GABA and glutamate imbalances. Scientifically, verbal support doesn’t address neurochemical crises, risking prolonged delirium or seizures without pharmacological intervention to stabilize neural activity in alcohol withdrawal.
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