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A nurse is observing a client diagnosed with borderline personality disorder on the inpatient unit. Which of the following would the nurse most likely note?
- A. Actively participating in several different groups
- B. Openly verbalizing feelings
- C. Participating in relationships in which the client has control
- D. Adhering to the personal boundaries of others
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Clients with BPD often seek control in relationships (C) due to fears of abandonment and emotional instability. Active group participation (A), open verbalization (B), and boundary adherence (D) are less likely due to impulsivity and interpersonal difficulties.
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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.
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.
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.
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.