A 27-year-old woman diagnosed with borderline personality disorder displays a labile affect, impulsivity, frequent angry outbursts, and difficulty tolerating her angry feelings without self-injury. A priority nursing diagnosis for this client is:
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B: Risk for self-mutilation. This is the priority nursing diagnosis because the client is displaying behaviors such as self-injury due to difficulty tolerating angry feelings. Self-mutilation poses an immediate risk to the client's safety and requires immediate intervention. The other choices are incorrect because anxiety (A) is a common symptom of borderline personality disorder but not the priority in this case. Risk for other-directed violence (C) is not indicated as the client is primarily harming themselves. Ineffective coping (D) is a broad diagnosis that does not address the immediate risk of self-mutilation.