Psychiatric Nursing: Contemporary Practice 6th Edition - Addiction and Substance-Related Disorders Related

Review Psychiatric Nursing: Contemporary Practice 6th Edition - Addiction and Substance-Related Disorders related questions and content

A nurse is talking with a 57-year-old client who has been a heavy drinker for many years. The client is being treated for alcoholism, and this is her second week as an inpatient on the psychiatric unit. It is 5:00 AM, and the client has been having difficulty sleeping. The client is an orthopedic nurse, and although she is clothed in a hospital-issued gown and robe, she is wearing a stethoscope around her neck that the nurse recognizes as belonging to one of the staff nurses. When the nurse asks her why she is wearing the stethoscope and where she got it, the client gives her a long and involved reply that basically describes how her nursing supervisor came to visit and gave it to her to wear so she?d remember to get well. The nurse suspects that the client may be experiencing which of the following?

  • A. Wernicke?s syndrome
  • B. Delirium tremens
  • C. Korsakoff?s psychosis
  • D. Malignant hyperthermia
Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The client?s confabulation (fabricated story about the stethoscope) and insomnia suggest Korsakoff?s psychosis (C), a chronic condition from alcohol-related thiamine deficiency causing memory deficits. Wernicke?s syndrome (A) involves ataxia and confusion, delirium tremens (B) includes severe autonomic symptoms, and malignant hyperthermia (D) is unrelated to alcohol.