ATI LPN
Psychiatric Nursing: Contemporary Practice 6th Edition
Chapter 22 : Schizophrenia and Related Disorders: Nursing Care of Persons with Thought Disorders Questions
Question 1 of 5
A nurse is preparing an in-service program for a group of psychiatric-mental health nurses about schizophrenia. Which of the following would the nurse include as a major reason for relapse?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Non-adherence to prescribed medications (
C) is a primary cause of relapse in schizophrenia, as antipsychotics are critical for symptom control. Lack of family support (
A) and stigmatization (
D) contribute indirectly, while accessibility to resources (
B) is a protective factor.
Question 2 of 5
While assessing a client with schizophrenia, the client states, Everywhere I turn, the government is watching me because I know too much. They are afraid that I might go public with the information about all those conspiracies. The nurse interprets this statement as indicating which type of delusion?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The client?s belief that the government is watching them due to their knowledge reflects a persecutory delusion (
C), characterized by fears of harm or surveillance. Grandiose delusions (
A) involve inflated self-importance, nihilistic delusions (
B) involve beliefs in nonexistence, and somatic delusions (
D) focus on bodily concerns.
Question 3 of 5
The nurse is interviewing a client with schizophrenia when the client begins to say, Kite, night, right, height, fright. The nurse documents this as which of the following?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Clang association (
A) describes speech patterns where words are chosen for their sound (e.g., rhyming), as seen in the client?s list, common in schizophrenia. Stilted language (
B) is overly formal, verbigeration (
C) is repetitive phrases, and neologisms (
D) are invented words, none of which fit.
Question 4 of 5
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?
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.
Question 5 of 5
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?
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.