ATI LPN
Test Bank for Essentials of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: A Communication Approach to Evidence-Based Care, 4e 4th Edition
Chapter 12 Questions
Question 1 of 5
A medical-surgical nurse works with a patient diagnosed with a somatic system disorder. Care planning is facilitated by understanding that the patient will probably present what behavior?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Patients with somatic system disorders go from physician to physician trying to establish a physical cause for their symptoms. When a psychological basis is suggested and a referral for counseling is offered, these patients reject both.
Question 2 of 5
A patient whose blindness is related to a functional neurological (conversion) disorder appears to be unconcerned about this problem. Which understanding should guide the nurse's planning for this patient?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Psychoanalytic theory suggests conversion reduces anxiety through the production of a physical symptom that is symbolically linked to an underlying conflict. Conversion, not suppression, is the operative defense mechanism in this disorder. The other distractors oversimplify the dynamics, suggesting that only dependency needs are of concern, or suggest conscious motivation (conversion operates unconsciously).
Question 3 of 5
A patient's blindness is related to a functional neurological (conversion) disorder. To help the patient eat, the nurse should implement what intervention?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The patient is expected to maintain some level of independence by feeding himself or herself, whereas the nurse is supportive in a matter-of-fact way. The distractors support dependency or offer little support.
Question 4 of 5
A patient with blindness related to a functional neurological (conversion) disorder states, "All the doctors and nurses in this hospital stop by often to check on me. Too bad people outside the hospital don't find me interesting." Which nursing diagnosis is most relevant?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The patient mentions that the symptoms make people more interested, which indicates that the patient believes he or she is uninteresting and unpopular without the symptoms, thus supporting the nursing diagnosis of chronic low self-esteem. Defining characteristics for the other nursing diagnoses are not present in this scenario.
Question 5 of 5
To assist a patient diagnosed with a somatic system disorder, which nursing intervention is of highest priority?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Shifting the focus from somatic symptoms to feelings or to neutral topics conveys an interest in the patient as a person rather than as a condition. The need to gain attention with the use of symptoms is reduced over the long term. A desired outcome is that the patient expresses feelings, including anger, if it is present. Once physical symptoms have been investigated, they do not need to be reinvestigated each time the patient reports them.