Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders NCLEX questions

Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders NCLEX questions 5.0 (25 reviews) Terms in this set (30) Ecpi UniversityNUR 234 Save A paranoid client presents with bizarre behaviors, neologisms, and thought insertion. Which nursing action should be prioritized to maintain this client's safety?

• Assess for medication

noncompliance

• Note escalating behaviors and

intervene immediately

• Interpret attempts at

communication

• Assess triggers for bizarre,

inappropriate behaviors

ANS: B

The nurse should note escalating behaviors and intervene immediately to maintain this client's safety. Early intervention may prevent an aggressive response and keep the client and others safe.

A client diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder is admitted for social skills training. Which information should be taught by the nurse?

• The side effects of medications
• Deep breathing techniques to

decrease stress

• How to make eye contact when

communicating

• How to be a leader

ANS: C

The nurse should plan to teach the client how to make eye contact when communicating. Social skills, such as making eye contact, can assist clients in communicating needs and maintaining connectedness.A 16-year-old-client diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia experiences command hallucinations to harm others. The client's parents ask a nurse, "Where do the voices come from?" Which is the appropriate nursing reply?

• "Your child has a chemical

imbalance of the brain which leads to altered thoughts."

• "Your child's hallucinations are

caused by medication interactions."

• "Your child has too little serotonin

in the brain causing delusions and hallucinations."

• "Your child's abnormal hormonal

changes have precipitated auditory hallucinations."

ANS: A

The nurse should explain that a chemical imbalance of the brain leads to altered thought processes.Hallucinations, or false sensory perceptions, may occur in all five senses. The client who hears voices is experiencing an auditory hallucination.

Parents ask a nurse how they should reply when their child, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, tells them that voices command him to harm others. Which is the appropriate nursing reply?

• "Tell him to stop discussing the

voices."

• "Ignore what he is saying, while

attempting to discover the underlying cause."

• "Focus on the feelings generated

by the hallucinations and present reality."

• "Present objective evidence that

the voices are not real."

ANS: C

The most appropriate response by the nurse is to instruct the parents to focus on the feelings generated by the hallucinations and present reality.The parents should maintain an attitude of acceptance to encourage communication but should not reinforce the hallucinations by exploring details of content. It is inappropriate to present logical arguments to persuade the client to accept the hallucinations as not real.A nurse is assessing a client diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. The nurse asks the client, "Do you receive special messages from certain sources, such as the television or radio?" Which potential symptom of this disorder is the nurse assessing?

• Thought insertion
• Paranoid delusions
• Magical thinking
• Delusions of reference

ANS: D

The nurse is assessing for the potential symptom of delusions of reference. A client who believes that he or she receives messages through the radio is experiencing delusions of reference. When a client experiences these delusions, he or she interprets all events within the environment as personal references.

A client diagnosed with schizophrenia tells a nurse, "The 'Shopatouliens' took my shoes out of my room last night." Which is an appropriate charting entry to describe this client's statement?

• "The client is experiencing

command hallucinations."

• "The client is expressing a

neologism."

• "The client is experiencing a

paranoid delusion."

• "The client is verbalizing a word

salad."

ANS: B

The nurse should describe the client's statement as experiencing a neologism. A neologism is when a client invents a new word that is meaningless to others but may have symbolic meaning to the client. Word salad refers to a group of words that are put together randomly.During an admission assessment, a nurse asks a client diagnosed with schizophrenia, "Have you ever felt that certain objects or persons have control over your behavior?" The nurse is assessing for which type of thought disruption?

• Delusions of persecution
• Delusions of influence
• Delusions of reference
• Delusions of grandeur

ANS: B

The nurse is assessing the client for delusions of influence when asking if the client has ever felt that objects or persons have control of the client's behavior. Delusions of control or influence are manifested when the client believes that his or her behavior is being influenced. An example would be if a client believes that a hearing aid receives transmissions that control personal thoughts and behaviors.