During a one-to-one session with the nurse, a female client admitted for chronic depression and attempted suicide discloses experiences of sexual promiscuity and prostitution. When the nurse asks the client if she was ever sexually abused as a child, the client says, “I don’t remember, but my mother ran my father off when I was five.” The nurse should recognize that the client may be using which defense mechanism?

A male client arrives at the mental health clinic and asks the nurse for more lithium and the antidepressant amitriptyline that he uses to help him sleep. After reviewing the assessment findings with the healthcare provider, a serum creatinine is obtained. Which information supports the reason for this laboratory test?

A male client tells the nurse that he has an IQ of 400+ and is a genius and an inventor. He also reports that he is married to a female movie star and thinks that his brother wants a sexual relationship with her. Which is the priority nursing problem for admission to the psychiatric unit?

A male client, assessed in the emergency department (ED), has a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. The client denies thoughts of harm to self or others, and the healthcare provider discharges the client. As the client begins to leave, the nurse overhears the client mumble, “Now I’m going to shoot myself.” Which intervention should the nurse implement?

A female client with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder is admitted to the hospital for a cardiac catheterization. The afternoon before the procedure, the client begins to keep detailed notes of the nursing care she is receiving, and reports her findings to the nurse at bedtime. What action should the nurse implement?

A male client with known auditory hallucinations begins talking loudly and gesturing wildly while in the unit’s day room. Which action should the nurse implement first?

During a high school substance abuse class, a student tells the group, “I know that marijuana is not addicting, so why shouldn’t I use it? Which response is best for the nurse to provide?

While assessing a client with the diagnosis of schizophrenia who wears dentures, the nurse observes that the client’s tongue is “worming”. The client also demonstrates an inability to articulate words clearly. Which additional assessment is most important for the nurse to obtain?

The nurse is teaching a group of adolescents about assertive communication. Two of the adolescents are seated at a round table and another is sitting on a small sofa nearby. To facilitate group interaction, which intervention is best for the nurse to implement?

The nurse is preparing medications for a client with bipolar disorder and notices that the antipsychotic medication was discontinued several days ago. Which medication should also be discontinued?

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