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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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The nurse is assessing a client who has borderline personality disorder. Which of the following would be a priority?
- A. Nutrition patterns
- B. Personal hygiene practices
- C. Physical functioning
- D. Somatic complaints
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Physical functioning (C) is a priority in BPD assessment due to the risk of self-harm or impulsivity affecting safety and health. Nutrition (A), hygiene (B), and somatic complaints (D) are important but secondary, as they are less immediately tied to life-threatening risks like self-injury.
The nurse is caring for a client diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. The nurse has instructed the client about using the communication triad. The nurse determines that the client has understood this technique when he states which of the following?
- A. I should start by stating my feelings as an ?I? statement.
- B. Maybe I should start by describing the situation that has me upset.
- C. I should first tell the other person what I?d like to be different about the situation.
- D. I should begin by telling the other person what has triggered my emotion.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The communication triad in BPD therapy involves using ?I? statements to express feelings, describing the situation, and stating desired changes. Starting with an ?I? statement (A) initiates effective communication. Describing the situation (B), desired changes (C), or triggers (D) follows but does not begin the triad.
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 nurse is assessing a client with borderline personality disorder. Which question would be most appropriate to assess the client?s level of impulsivity?
- A. What things bother you and make you feel happy?
- B. Have you ever felt sorry after acting as you did on the spur of the moment?
- C. How do you view other people around you?
- D. Have you ever felt like you were separated from your body?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Asking about regret after spontaneous actions (B) directly assesses impulsivity, a core BPD trait. Questions about emotions (A), perceptions of others (C), or dissociation (D) are less specific to impulsivity.
The nurse is assessing a client who is diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Which client statement indicates the client is at risk for self-injurious behavior?
- A. I have felt so down lately. I don?t enjoy doing anything anymore.
- B. I do what I do because others tell me to do so.
- C. When I feel extremely anxious, it is like my mind goes somewhere else.
- D. It is almost as if as soon as I think of doing something, I immediately do it.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The statement about the mind going somewhere else during extreme anxiety (C) suggests dissociation, a common precursor to self-injurious behavior in borderline personality disorder (BPD) as a way to cope with intense emotions. Feeling down (A) indicates depression, following others (B) suggests suggestibility, and impulsivity (D) is a risk but less directly linked to self-injury than dissociation.