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?

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?

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 homeless female client who reports feeling sad and depressed tells the mental health nurse that in the past two days, the client has only had four hours of sleep. Which action is most important for the nurse to implement within the first 24 hours after treatment is initiated?

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?

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?

When a male client is asked about his reason for coming to the mental health clinic, he replies, “It all started because I work in a hostile work environment. My boss would not let me go to a religious service, so I went to human resources, and they didn’t want to do anything. It has been a really difficult time for me.” Which response should the nurse provide?

A young adult male client is admitted to the psychiatric unit because of a recent suicide attempt. His wife filed for divorce six months ago, he lost his job three months ago, and his best friend moved to another city two weeks ago. Which intervention should the nurse include in this client’s plan of care?

A client with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) receives a new prescription for lorazepam. Which statement provided by the client requires additional instruction by the nurse?

The nurse assesses a client who recently began experiencing violent nightmares. Which factor in the client’s history should the nurse further explore?

An adolescent who is exhibiting a depressed affect receives a prescription for an antidepressant drug. While the client is taking the antidepressant, which comparison of the client’s behavior before and after taking the drug is most important for the nurse to obtain?