An older male resident of a long-term care facility who is chronically depressed has become more reclusive and refuses to leave his room today. His family moved away from the local area, and they are unable to visit as much as they did in the past. Which comment by the nurse is likely to be most helpful to this client?

"May I sit with you for a while?"

"Come into the recreation area. We have your favorite card game and I will play it with you."

"I know you are sad about not seeing your family as often, but they are visiting as much as they can."

"Why do you want to stay in your room today?"

Answer and Explanation

The Correct Answer is A

Choice A reason: Offering to sit with the client provides empathetic presence, addressing the isolation of depression without pressuring activity. This fosters connection and support, critical for a reclusive, depressed client, aligning with psychiatric nursing principles for building therapeutic rapport in chronic depression, making it the most helpful comment.

Choice B reason: Inviting the client to the recreation area may feel coercive to a depressed, reclusive client, increasing withdrawal. Offering quiet companionship respects his current state and encourages engagement gently, making this less helpful and incorrect for addressing his immediate emotional needs effectively.

Choice C reason: Acknowledging family absence may validate sadness but risks dismissing the client’s feelings by justifying the situation. Sitting with him offers direct support, fostering connection. This comment is less therapeutic, as it may not address his isolation, making it incorrect for immediate support.

Choice D reason: Asking why he stays in his room may seem confrontational to a depressed client, potentially increasing withdrawal. Offering to sit with him builds trust without demanding explanation, aligning with supportive care for depression. This question is less helpful, making it incorrect for fostering engagement.

Nursing Test Bank

Quiz #1: RN Exams Pharmacology Exams Quiz #2: RN Exams Medical-Surgical Exams Quiz #3: RN Exams Fundamentals Exams Quiz #4: RN Exams Maternal-Newborn Exams Quiz #5: RN Exams Anatomy and Physiology Exams Quiz #6: RN Exams Obstetrics and Pediatrics Exams Quiz #7: RN Exams Fluid and Electrolytes Exams Quiz #8: RN Exams Community Health Exams Quiz #9: RN Exams Promoting Health across the lifespan Exams Quiz #10: RN Exams Multidimensional care Exams

Get 100+ Naxlex Exit Exams for $79 Try Naxlex NCLEX-RN (14 Day Free-Trial)

Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams

Quiz #1: Naxlex RN Comprehensive online practice 2019 B with NGN Quiz #2: Naxlex RN Comprehensive Predictor 2023 Quiz #3: Naxlex RN Comprehensive Predictor 2023 Exit Exam A Quiz #4: Naxlex HESI Exit LPN Exam Quiz #5: Naxlex PN Comprehensive Predictor PN 2020 Quiz #6: Naxlex VATI PN Comprehensive Predictor 2020 Quiz #8: Naxlex PN Comprehensive Predictor 2023 - Exam 1 Quiz #10: Naxlex HESI PN Exit exam Quiz #11: Naxlex HESI PN EXIT Exam 2

Free Nursing Study Resources

Correct Answer is D

Explanation

Choice A reason: Asking the client to describe anxiety sources may increase distress in a severe anxiety state, as it requires cognitive effort under stress. Escorting from the group reduces stimuli, calming the client more effectively, making this incorrect for managing acute, severe anxiety during therapy.

Choice B reason: Relaxation techniques are useful but may be ineffective in a group setting for severe anxiety, where stimuli overwhelm the client. Escorting to a quieter area reduces triggers and facilitates calming, making this less optimal and incorrect compared to removing the client from the group.

Choice C reason: Educating about coping strategies is preventive, not immediate, for severe anxiety. Escorting the client from the group reduces stimuli, addressing acute distress directly. Education is impractical during a crisis, making this incorrect for the best intervention in a severe anxiety episode.

Choice D reason: Escorting the client from the group to a quieter area reduces environmental stimuli, helping de-escalate severe anxiety effectively. This intervention prioritizes immediate calming, aligning with psychiatric nursing principles for managing acute anxiety in group therapy, making it the best choice for this scenario.

A. A middle-aged man who is troubled with shortness of breath and is diaphoretic. B. An older adult who continuously troubled by a headache and back pain. C. An adolescent who becomes extremely anxious about going outside. D. A young woman who suddenly goes blind with no indication of organic pathology.

Correct Answer is D

Explanation

Choice A reason: Shortness of breath and diaphoresis suggest a medical or anxiety-related condition, not conversion disorder, which involves neurological symptoms without organic cause. Sudden blindness without pathology better fits conversion disorder, making this incorrect for identifying conversion disorder symptoms in the day area.

Choice B reason: Chronic headache and back pain are often somatic but less specific to conversion disorder, which typically presents with acute neurological symptoms like blindness. Pain has multiple causes, making this less definitive and incorrect compared to sudden, unexplained blindness as a conversion disorder symptom.

Choice C reason: Extreme anxiety about going outside indicates agoraphobia, an anxiety disorder, not conversion disorder, which manifests as neurological deficits like blindness without organic cause. Anxiety is psychological, not somatic, making this incorrect for identifying conversion disorder in the observed clients.

Choice D reason: Sudden blindness without organic pathology is a classic symptom of conversion disorder, where psychological stress manifests as neurological deficits. This aligns with psychiatric diagnostic criteria for conversion disorder, making it the correct choice for the client exhibiting these symptoms in the day area.

View Question and Answer

Whether you are a student looking to ace your exams or a practicing nurse seeking to enhance your expertise , our nursing education contents will empower you with the confidence and competence to make a difference in the lives of patients and become a respected leader in the healthcare field.

Visit Naxlex, invest in your future and unlock endless possibilities with our unparalleled nursing education contents today

Nursing Test Bank

Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams

A nurse who is co-leading group therapy recognizes that a client is beginning to experience severe levels of anxiety. Which intervention is best for the nurse to implement?

Correct Answer is D

Explanation

The charge nurse of the psychiatric unit observes clients in the day area. Which client is exhibiting symptoms of a conversion disorder?

Correct Answer is D

Explanation

A client with schizophrenia is demonstrating echolalia, which is becoming annoying to other clients on the unit. Which intervention is best for the nurse to implement?

The nurse is performing the admission assessment for a client with schizophrenia in an acute care inpatient facility. The nurse should identify which observed behavior is characteristic of schizophrenia?

The nurse is using the CAGE questionnaire as a screening tool for a client who is seeking help because his wife said he had a drinking problem. Which information should the nurse explore in-depth with the client based on this screening tool?

The nurse is providing teaching to a client and family about schizophrenia before discharge from an inpatient facility. The nurse should instruct the family to notify the healthcare provider when which behavior is observed?

A client at the mental health center reports difficulty concentrating at work, feeling very tired during the day, and sleeping 4 to 5 hours at night. To further assess for depression, which question is most important for the nurse to ask?

During a one-to-one session, the nurse begins to become angry with the client. Which action should the nurse take?