HESI Mental Health 2023 Related

Review HESI Mental Health 2023 related questions and content

What is the priority intervention for a client with major depressive disorder admitted to the psychiatric unit with suicidal ideation?

  • A. Conduct a thorough suicide risk assessment.
  • B. Encourage the client to verbalize their feelings.
  • C. Provide the client with positive affirmations.
  • D. Refer the client to group therapy.
Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is to conduct a thorough suicide risk assessment. When a client with major depressive disorder presents with suicidal ideation, the priority is to assess the level of risk to ensure the client's safety. This assessment helps determine the appropriate interventions, level of care, and monitoring needed. Encouraging the client to verbalize their feelings (choice B) is important, but not the priority when immediate safety is a concern. Providing positive affirmations (choice C) and referring the client to group therapy (choice D) may be beneficial interventions later on but do not address the immediate risk of harm to the client.