Which potential side effect of Buspirone is important to include when providing patient teaching?
Drowsiness.
Sleep paralysis.
Dizziness.
Behavioral changes.
The Correct Answer is C
Choice A rationale
Drowsiness is a common and important side effect of many anxiolytics, especially benzodiazepines, due to their central nervous system depressant properties. However, a key advantage of Buspirone is its lack of significant sedation, as it is a non-benzodiazepine anxiolytic that acts as a partial serotonin (5-HT_1A) agonist, making drowsiness less pronounced and less of a critical teaching point compared to other options.
Choice B rationale
Sleep paralysis, a temporary inability to move or speak while falling asleep or waking up, is a parasomnia, sometimes associated with narcolepsy or stress. It is not a commonly reported or clinically significant side effect directly linked to the partial serotonin (5-HT_1A) agonism mechanism of action of Buspirone.
Choice C rationale
Dizziness is a very common side effect of Buspirone because of its effect on serotonin receptors and potentially some impact on blood pressure regulation upon standing, known as orthostatic hypotension. It is crucial patient teaching to help prevent falls and ensure safety, especially when first starting the medication or changing positions.
Choice D rationale
While some behavioral changes can occur with psychotropic medications, Buspirone is generally well-tolerated with a low risk of dependency or major behavioral disturbances. It does not possess the same potential for paradoxical excitement or disinhibition commonly seen with other anxiolytics like benzodiazepines.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A rationale
Granting extra privileges solely based on voluntary admission status contradicts the principle of a therapeutic milieu, which aims for consistent and equitable application of rules and expectations for all patients. Differential treatment can disrupt the communal environment and foster feelings of inequality, potentially hindering the sense of safety and promoting resentment, thereby undermining the goal of promoting psychological healing and emotional security within the unit.
Choice B rationale
A therapeutic milieu is scientifically designed to create a safe, structured, and emotionally supportive environment, utilizing the entire setting—people, structure, and activities—as a treatment modality. This structure provides a predictable and consistent reality, reducing anxiety, fostering a sense of security, and promoting behavioral and emotional regulation, which are critical elements for psychological healing and the development of adaptive coping mechanisms in patients.
Choice C rationale
Rigidly enforcing rules and limits is necessary for a successful therapeutic milieu, as consistency provides a stable external structure that helps patients, especially those with impaired reality testing or impulse control, to feel safe and understand behavioral expectations. Flexibility can introduce ambiguity and instability, which may increase anxiety and undermine the predictability essential for establishing trust and promoting patient responsibility within the unit.
Choice D rationale
Frequent negative feedback is counterproductive to a therapeutic milieu, which emphasizes positive reinforcement and constructive guidance to promote growth and self-esteem. Constant criticism, even if intended to modify behavior, can lead to feelings of shame, defensiveness, and withdrawal, thereby damaging the therapeutic relationship and reducing the patient's willingness to engage in treatment and adopt more adaptive behaviors.
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
Choice A rationale
This statement reflects a global, self-defeating cognitive distortion known as overgeneralization, applying a single failure to all future attempts ("always fail"). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) aims to challenge and modify such rigid, irrational beliefs toward more balanced, realistic thinking, making this statement a lack of progress within the therapeutic framework.
Choice B rationale
This is another example of pervasive cognitive distortion, specifically all-or-nothing thinking or catastrophizing, suggesting a view that all life events are inherently negative ("always go wrong"). Progress in CBT involves moving away from these absolute terms to recognize situational variance and positive outcomes, thus this statement indicates limited therapeutic change.
Choice C rationale
This statement, "Sometimes I do stupid things," demonstrates cognitive restructuring and de-personalization of failure, which are key goals in CBT. By using the word "Sometimes," the client reframes the self-criticism from a global, fixed self-identity ("I'm stupid") to a specific, contextualized behavior ("do stupid things"), showing an awareness that negative actions do not define the whole self.
Choice D rationale
"I'm disappointed in my lack of ability" shifts the language from a global self-label to a feeling about a performance deficit. While less absolute than the original statement, it still focuses on an internal, perceived deficit ("lack of ability") rather than separating the behavior from the self and acknowledging the situational nature of error, which is the hallmark of progress in CBT.
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