The mother of an infant with profound mental and physical disabilities tells the nurse how depressed she is because she realizes that her child will never achieve normal growth and development milestones. How should the nurse respond to this mother?

Choice A reason: Identifying effective coping strategies is critical for an adolescent with suicidal ideation triggered by anger, as it addresses the root cause of the suicide attempt. This goal promotes emotional regulation and prevents future self-harm, aligning with psychiatric nursing priorities for suicide risk management.

Choice B reason: Attending group sessions supports socialization but does not directly address the client’s suicidal behavior or emotional triggers. Coping strategies are more critical to prevent recurrence of self-harm, making this goal less important than learning to manage feelings effectively in this context.

Choice C reason: Positive staff interaction fosters therapeutic alliance but does not target the client’s suicidal ideation or anger management. Developing coping skills is more critical to address the underlying emotional dysregulation, making this goal secondary to learning effective strategies for handling intense feelings.

Choice D reason: Expressing anger towards family may escalate conflict without resolving the client’s suicidal behavior. Teaching coping strategies is more important to manage emotions safely, preventing further self-harm. This goal is less therapeutic and potentially harmful, making it incorrect for priority care planning.

Choice A reason: Asking “Do you often feel sad?” directly assesses the core symptom of depression, low mood, critical for diagnosis. The client’s reported fatigue and poor sleep suggest depression, and confirming sadness strengthens the assessment, aligning with psychiatric diagnostic criteria, making this the most important question.

Choice B reason: Recent stresses may contribute to depression but are less specific than sadness, the hallmark symptom. Asking about mood directly confirms depression, while stress is a secondary factor. This question is less critical, making it incorrect for the primary depression assessment in this client.

Choice C reason: Food preferences are irrelevant to depression assessment, as they do not address mood, sleep, or concentration issues. Asking about sadness targets the core depressive symptom, making this incorrect, as dietary habits do not provide diagnostic clarity for the client’s reported symptoms.

Choice D reason: Sleep changes are already reported (4-5 hours), so asking about them is redundant. Confirming sadness directly assesses the primary depressive symptom, strengthening the diagnosis. This question is less essential, making it incorrect compared to probing the client’s emotional state for depression.