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A nurse is assisting a client with borderline personality disorder in how to manage transient psychotic episodes that involve auditory hallucinations. The teaching is planned for times when the client is free of these symptoms. Which of the following would the nurse instruct the client to do first?
- A. Use skills to tolerate painful feelings.
- B. Practice deep abdominal breathing.
- C. Identify early internal cues of distress.
- D. Refer to cards listing potential symptoms.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Identifying early internal cues of distress (C) is the first step in managing transient psychotic episodes in BPD, enabling proactive intervention before hallucinations escalate. Tolerating feelings (A), breathing (B), or using cards (D) are subsequent steps after recognizing cues.
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A client diagnosed with borderline personality disorder tells the nurse that she frequently spaces out. Which response by the nurse would be most appropriate?
- A. Do you feel stressed most of the time?
- B. Does this frighten you when it happens?
- C. What?s happening around you when this occurs?
- D. Do you feel as if you are out of your body?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The client?s description of ?spacing out? suggests dissociation, common in BPD. Asking if she feels out of her body (D) directly assesses the nature of this dissociative experience. Asking about stress (A), fear (B), or external events (C) is less specific to confirming dissociation.
A nursing instructor is preparing a class discussion on personality disorders and characteristics. Which term would the instructor include to differentiate personality disorders from normal personality? Select all that apply.
- A. Inflexible
- B. Short term
- C. Pervasive
- D. Unstable over time
- E. Distressing
Correct Answer: A,C,E
Rationale: Personality disorders are characterized by inflexible (A), pervasive (C), and distressing (E) patterns of behavior that deviate from normal personality traits. They are not short-term (B) but enduring, and while unstable relationships or emotions may occur, ?unstable over time? (D) is not a defining feature of the disorder itself.
The nurse has explained some of the biologic theories of causation to a client diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and his family. The nurse determines that the client and family have understood the instructions when they state which of the following?
- A. The disorder may be caused by increased serotonin activity.
- B. The disorder is caused by decreased dopamine activity in my brain.
- C. A frontal lobe dysfunction may be causing this condition.
- D. A decrease in hormonal substances increases the risk for this illness.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Frontal lobe dysfunction (C), particularly in areas like the prefrontal cortex, is implicated in BPD due to its role in emotional regulation and impulsivity. Increased serotonin activity (A) is not typically associated, decreased dopamine (B) is more relevant to other disorders, and hormonal decreases (D) lack specific evidence in BPD causation.
A group of nursing students is reviewing possible risk factors for development of borderline personality disorder. The students demonstrate understanding of the information when they identify which of the following as a risk factor? Select all that apply.
- A. Childhood sexual abuse
- B. Parental loss
- C. Substance abuse
- D. Family history
- E. Genetics
Correct Answer: A,B,D,E
Rationale: Risk factors for BPD include childhood sexual abuse (A), parental loss (B), family history (D), and genetics (E), reflecting environmental and hereditary influences. Substance abuse (C) is a common comorbidity but not a primary risk factor for developing BPD.
A woman with borderline personality disorder has been admitted to the inpatient unit because she has been engaging in wrist cutting. The client?s sister is visiting, and the sister asks the nurse to explain why her sister sometimes does this to herself. Which response by the nurse would be most appropriate?
- A. Sometimes the self-injurious behavior is undertaken to relieve stress.
- B. Self-injurious behavior often calms and sedates people with this diagnosis.
- C. Sometimes they do it to avoid the onslaught of delusional thinking.
- D. The self-mutilation often slows the mood swings your sister experiences.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Self-injurious behavior in BPD, such as wrist cutting, is often a maladaptive coping mechanism to relieve intense emotional stress or distress (A). It does not typically calm or sedate (B), is unrelated to delusions (C), and does not directly address mood swings (D), which are more characteristic of bipolar disorder.