ATI RN
Psychobiological Disorders Questions
Question 1 of 5
The nurse who is counseling a patient with dissociative identity disorder should understand that the assessment of highest priority is:
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Assessments that relate to patient safety take priority. Patients with dissociative disorders may be at risk for suicide or self-mutilation, so the nurse must be alert for indicators of risk for self-injury. The other options are important assessments but rank below safety. Treatment motivation, while an important consideration, is not necessarily a part of the nursing assessment.
Question 2 of 5
A soldier returned home from active duty in a combat zone in Afghanistan and was diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The soldier says, 'If there's a loud noise at night, I get under my bed because I think we're getting bombed.' What type of experience has the soldier described?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Flashbacks are dissociative reactions in which an individual feels or acts as if the traumatic event were recurring. Illusions are misinterpretations of stimuli, and although the experience is similar, it is better termed a flashback because of the diagnosis of PTSD. Auditory hallucinations have no external stimuli. Nightmares commonly accompany PTSD, but this experience was stimulated by an actual environmental sound.
Question 3 of 5
A soldier who served in a combat zone returned to the U.S. The soldier's spouse complains to the nurse, 'We had planned to start a family, but now he won't talk about it. He won't even look at children.' The spouse is describing which symptom associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Physiological reactions to reminders of the event that include persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma results in the individual's avoiding talking about the event or avoiding activities, people, or places that arouse memories of the trauma. Avoidance is exemplified by a sense of foreshortened future and estrangement. There is no evidence this soldier is having hyperarousal or reexperiencing war-related traumas. Psychosis is not evident.
Question 4 of 5
Relaxation techniques help patients who have experienced major traumas because they:
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: In response to trauma, the sympathetic arousal symptoms of rapid heart rate and rapid respiration prepare the person for flight or fight responses. Afterward, the dorsal vagal response damps down the sympathetic nervous system. This is a parasympathetic response with the heart rate and respiration slowing down and decreasing the blood pressure. Relaxation techniques promote activity of the parasympathetic nervous system.
Question 5 of 5
The nurse interviewing a patient with suspected posttraumatic stress disorder should be alert to findings indicating the patient: (select all that apply)
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Failed to generate a rationale of 500+ characters after 5 retries.