ATI LPN
Test Bank for Psychiatric Nursing: Contemporary Practice
Chapter 40 : Caring for Persons With Co-occurring Mental Disorders Questions
Question 1 of 5
The nurse is planning a presentation for a group of mental health care providers on the topic of co-occurring disorders. The nurse plans to include information about health care providers and their response to these clients. Which of the following would the nurse include as a major reason for these clients being often underserved and undertreated?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Providers often ignore concurrent mental health disorders (
C), focusing solely on substance abuse, which leads to undertreatment of co-occurring disorders. Option A is less accurate, as 12-step programs are not the primary focus of providers. Option B is specific to personality disorders, not the broader issue. Option D is a challenge but not the primary reason.
Question 2 of 5
The nurse is caring for a female adolescent client diagnosed with depression and substance abuse. Which of the following would be most appropriate for the nurse to do?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Asking about suicidal thoughts (
B) is most appropriate, as depression in adolescents with substance abuse significantly increases suicide risk, requiring immediate assessment. Hyperactivity (
A) is less relevant, Wernicke?s syndrome (
C) is specific to thiamine deficiency in alcoholism, and anxiety (
D) is secondary to suicide risk.
Question 3 of 5
A client with schizophrenia and substance abuse disorder is admitted to a detoxification program. The client has been prescribed neuroleptic medications for schizophrenia. When caring for this client, the nurse would implement interventions to reduce the client?s risk for relapse, integrating knowledge that relapse frequently is secondary to which of the following?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Medication non-adherence (
C) is a primary cause of relapse in schizophrenia, as neuroleptics control symptoms, and stopping them often leads to symptom recurrence and substance use. Poor social skills (
A), lack of vocational skills (
B), and dysfunctional family systems (
D) contribute but are less directly linked to relapse than non-adherence.
Question 4 of 5
A nurse is teaching a group of hospitalized clients who have co-occurring disorders involving cognitive disorders and alcoholism about the relapse cycle. Which statement would the nurse most likely include during this teaching session?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Option A accurately describes the relapse cycle in co-occurring disorders, where clients use alcohol to self-medicate psychiatric symptoms, leading to symptom recurrence, rehospitalization, and repeated cycles due to medication non-adherence. Option B incorrectly ties alcoholism directly to hallucinations, option C oversimplifies the relationship, and option D misattributes psychiatric symptoms to alcohol withdrawal.
Question 5 of 5
A nurse is interviewing a client who has a co-occurring diagnosis. The client is trying to explain why it is so easy to start drinking again even though hospitalization and prescribed medications can eventually control his mental problems. Which statement by the client would the nurse interpret as reflecting the client?s beliefs?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The client?s statement in option B reflects a common belief in co-occurring disorders, where substance use provides an escape or euphoria that medications do not, driving relapse. Option A focuses on cost, option C on side effects, and option D on avoiding responsibility, all less central to the emotional pull of substance use.