NUR 162 Test 3 - a. Dopamine excess b. Serotonin deficiency c. A...

NUR 162 Test 3

• Which changes in brain biochemical function is most associated with suicidal behavior?
• Dopamine excess
• Serotonin deficiency
• Acetylcholine excess
• Gamma-aminobutyric acid deficiency

Answer

• Serotonin deficiency

• A college student failed two tests. Afterward, the student cried for hours and then tried to

telephone a parent but got no answer. The student then gave several expensive sweaters to a roomate. Which behavior provides the strongest clue of an impending suicide attempt?

• Calling parents
• Excessive crying
• Giving away sweaters
• Staying alone in a dorm room

Answer

• Giving away sweaters

• A nurse uses the SAD PERSONS scale to interview a patient. This tool provides relevant

data to

• current stress level
• mood disturbance
• suicide potential
• level of anxiety

Answer

• suicide potential

• A person intentionally overdoses on antidepressant drugs. Which nursing diagnosis has the

highest priority?

• powerlessness
• social isolation
• risk for suicide
• / 4

• ineffective management of the therapeutic regimen

Answer

• risk for suicide

• A person attempts suicide by overdose, is treated in the emergency department, and then

hospitalized. What is the best initial outcome? The patient will

• verbalize a will to live by the end of the second hospital day
• describe two new coping mechanisms by the end of the third hospital day
• accurately delineate personal strengths by the end of first week of hospitalization
• exercise suicide self-restraint by refraining from gestures or attempts to kill self for 24 hours

Answer

• exercise suicide self-restraint by refraining from gestures or attempts to kill self for 24 hours

• A college student who attempted suicide. by overdose is hospitalized. When the parents are

contacted, they respond, There must be a mistake. This could not have happened. We've given our child everything. The parents reaction reflects

• denial
• anger
• anxiety
• rescue feelings

Answer

• denial

• An adolescent tells the school nurse, My friend threatened to take an overdose of pills.

The nurse talks to the friend who verbalized the suicide threat. The most critical question for the nurse to ask would be

• Why do you want to kill yourself?
• Do you have access to medications?
• Have you been taking drugs and alcohol?
• / 4

• Did something happen with your parents?

Answer

• Do you have access to medica tions?

• The nurse discovers a client's suicide note that details the time, place, and means to commit

suicide. Which would be the priority nursing intervention and the rationale for this action?

• Administering lorazepam (Ativan) prn, because the client is angry about the discovery of the

note

• Establishing room restrictions, because the client's threat is an attempt to manipulate the

staff

• Placing this client on one-to-one suicide precautions, because the more specific the

plan, the more likely the client will attempt suicide

• Calling an emergency treatment team meeting, because the client's threat must be

addressed Answer

• Placing this client on one-to-one suicide precautions, because the more specific the

• An adult attempts suicide after declaring bankruptcy. The patient is hospitalized and takes

an antidepressant medication for five days. The patient is now more talkative and shows increased energy. Select the highest priority nursing intervention.

• Supervise the patient 24 hours a day.
• Begin discharge planning for the patient.
• Refer the patient to art and music therapists.
• Consider the discontinuation of suicide precautions.

Answer

• Supervise the patient 24 hours a day.

• A nurse and patient construct a no-suicide contract. Select the preferable wording for the

contract

• I will not try to harm myself during the next 24 hours

• I will not make a suicide attempt while I am hospitalized
• For the next 24 hours, I will not kill or harm myself in any way
• I will not kill myself until I call my primary nurse or a member of the staff

Answer

• For the next 24 hours, I will not kill or harm myself in any way 3 / 4

• A tearful, anxious patient at the outpatient clinic reports, I should be dead. The initial task

of the nurse conducting the assessment interview is to

• assess the lethality of a suicide plan
• encourage expression of anger
• establish a rapport with the patient
• determine risk factors for suicide

Answer

• establish a rapport with the patient

• Which intervention should a nurse recommend for the distressed family and friends of

someone who has committed suicide?

• Participating in reminiscence therapy
• attending a self-help group for survivors
• contracting for two sessions of group therapy
• completing a psychological postmortem assessment

Answer

• attending a self-help group for survivors

• Which statement provides the best rationale for why a nurse should closely monitor a

severely depressed patient during antidepressant medication ther- apy?

• as depression lifts, physical energy becomes available to carry outside
• suicide may be precipitated by a variety of internal and external events
• suicidal patients have difficulty using social supports
• suicide is an impulsive act

Answer

• as depression lifts, physical energy becomes available to carry outside

• A nurse assesses a patient who reports a 3-week history of depression and crying spells.The

patient says, My business is bankrupt, and I was served with divorce papers. Which subsequent statement by the patient alerts the nurse to a concealed suicide message?

• i wish i were dead
• life is not worth living
• i have a plan that will fix everything

• my family will be better off without me
• / 4