Nokea
A nurse is providing care to a client just recently diagnosed with schizophrenia during an inpatient hospital stay. Throughout the day, the nurse observes the client drinking from the water fountain quite frequently as well as carrying cans of soda and bottles of water with him wherever he goes. Upon entering the client?s room, the nurse sees numerous empty cups that had been filled with fluids on his table and in the trash can. The room has an odor of urine. The nurse suspects which of the following?
- A. Diabetes mellitus
- B. Disordered water balance
- C. Tardive dyskinesia
- D. Orthostatic hypotension
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Excessive fluid intake and urine odor suggest disordered water balance (B), such as psychogenic polydipsia, common in schizophrenia, leading to excessive drinking and urination. Diabetes mellitus (A) may cause thirst but not typically urine odor in this context. Tardive dyskinesia (C) and orthostatic hypotension (D) are unrelated to these symptoms.
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A client with schizophrenia tells the nurse, I?m being watched constantly by the FBI because of my job. Which response by the nurse would be most appropriate?
- A. Tell me more about how you are being watched.
- B. It must be frightening to feel like you?re always been watched.
- C. You?re not being watched; it?s all in your mind.
- D. You are experiencing a delusion because of your illness.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Empathizing with the client?s fear (B) validates their emotions without reinforcing the delusion, fostering trust. Asking for more details (A) may entrench the delusion, while dismissing (C) or labeling it (D) could alienate the client.
A client who has a major depressive episode tells the nurse that for the past 2 weeks, he has been hearing voices and at times thinks that someone is following him. History reveals that he had these alternating symptoms before along with times when he has experienced neither of these symptoms and has been able to function adequately. The nurse interprets these findings as suggesting which of the following?
- A. Paranoid schizophrenia
- B. Undifferentiated schizophrenia
- C. Brief psychotic disorder
- D. Schizoaffective disorder
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Schizoaffective disorder (D) combines mood episodes (depression) with psychotic symptoms (hallucinations, paranoia) that persist but allow periods of adequate functioning, matching the client?s history. Paranoid (A) and undifferentiated schizophrenia (B) lack prominent mood components, and brief psychotic disorder (C) is shorter in duration.
When assessing a client with delusional disorder, the nurse would most likely expect to find impairment in which of the following? Select all that apply.
- A. Social functioning
- B. Marital functioning
- C. Intellectual functioning
- D. Occupational functioning
- E. Mental status functioning
Correct Answer: A,B,D
Rationale: Delusional disorder often impairs social (A), marital (B), and occupational functioning (D) due to the impact of delusions on relationships and work. Intellectual (C) and mental status functioning (E) typically remain intact, as the disorder is focal.
A group of nursing students is reviewing the various theories related to the etiology of schizophrenia. The students demonstrate understanding of the information when they identify which neurotransmitter as being responsible for hallucinations and delusions?
- A. Dopamine
- B. Serotonin
- C. Norepinephrine
- D. Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA)
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Dopamine (A) dysregulation, particularly excess in certain brain regions, is strongly linked to hallucinations and delusions in schizophrenia. Serotonin (B), norepinephrine (C), and GABA (D) play roles in other disorders or symptoms but are less directly associated with these psychotic features.
The nurse is preparing to document information obtained from a client diagnosed with a delusional disorder who is experiencing somatic delusions. Which of the following would the nurse most likely document?
- A. Disorientation
- B. Reduced attention span
- C. Above average intelligence
- D. Body complaints
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Somatic delusions in delusional disorder involve persistent beliefs about bodily functions or sensations (D), such as unusual odors or physical defects. Disorientation (A), reduced attention (B), and above-average intelligence (C) are not typically associated with somatic delusions.