Which neurotransmitter effect occurs with anxiolytic medication?
Facilitates the transmission of glutamate.
Decreases excess dopamine from the presynaptic neuron.
Increases the release of serotonin.
Increases the effectiveness of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA).
The Correct Answer is D
Choice A rationale
Glutamate is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Its facilitation would increase neuronal activity, which is generally contrary to the desired calming and sedative effects of anxiolytic medications, which typically aim to reduce nervous system overactivity to manage anxiety.
Choice B rationale
Dopamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter involved in reward, motivation, and motor control. While involved in various psychiatric conditions, decreasing excess dopamine is the primary mechanism of action for some antipsychotic medications, not the typical mechanism for anxiolytics, which primarily target anxiety symptoms.
Choice C rationale
Serotonin, a monoamine, modulates mood, sleep, and appetite. Increasing its release or effects is the primary mechanism for some classes of antidepressants, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which are also used for anxiety, but is not the defining or typical mechanism of benzodiazepine anxiolytics.
Choice D rationale
γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. Anxiolytic drugs, particularly the benzodiazepine class, exert their effect by binding to the GABA_A receptor. This binding enhances GABA's inhibitory effects, leading to hyperpolarization of the neuron, thereby reducing overall neuronal excitability and promoting an anxiolytic (calming) effect.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
Choice A rationale
Genuineness (or congruence) involves the nurse's ability to be authentic, transparent, and real in the relationship, aligning their internal feelings and external expressions. While vital for a therapeutic relationship, it focuses on the nurse's self-presentation rather than the cognitive and affective process of accurately understanding the client's internal experience.
Choice B rationale
Positive regard (or respect) is the non-judgmental attitude that accepts the client unconditionally as a person of worth. It establishes a climate of acceptance and trust but primarily addresses the nurse's attitude towards the client, not the specific intellectual and emotional effort to perceive and understand the client's subjective experience.
Choice C rationale
Empathy is the scientific term for the ability to accurately perceive and understand the client's feelings, perspective, and situation as if the nurse were the client, without losing one's own objectivity. This active process requires cognitive understanding of the client's frame of reference and affective sensitivity to their emotional state, directly matching the description provided.
Choice D rationale
A non-judgmental attitude is a core component of positive regard and involves refraining from moral or personal criticism of the client's behavior or choices. It is a necessary precondition for empathy, as judgment inhibits deep understanding, but it is not the process of perceiving and understanding the client's feelings and perspective itself.
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A rationale
Quaternary prevention is a relatively newer concept focused on protecting patients from medical interventions that are likely to cause harm. It involves identifying patients at risk of overmedicalization or unnecessary diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. This level of prevention is not directly applicable to the intervention stage for active suicidal tendencies.
Choice B rationale
Secondary prevention focuses on early detection and prompt treatment of a condition to limit disability and prevent severe progression. For a patient with major depression and active suicidal tendencies, the intervention (hospitalization, crisis intervention, initiation of pharmacotherapy) represents a critical effort to rapidly treat the acute phase of the illness, thus preventing suicide, which is a severe outcome.
Choice C rationale
Tertiary prevention aims to reduce the long-term consequences or disability of a chronic or already established disease. For major depression, tertiary prevention would include rehabilitation, ongoing support groups, and maintenance medication to prevent relapse and maximize functioning after the acute crisis has been resolved.
Choice D rationale
Primary prevention aims to prevent disease or injury before it ever occurs. This would include universal mental health education, stress management programs, or screenings for at-risk populations before they develop major depression or suicidal ideation. It is not appropriate for an actively suicidal patient.
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