PSYCHIATRIC NURSING BULLETS
- Common causes of child abuse
are poor impulse control by the parents and the lack of knowledge of growth and
development.
- The diagnosis of Alzheimer’s
disease is based on clinical findings of two or more cognitive deficits,
progressive worsening of memory, and the results of a neuropsychological test.
- Memory disturbance is a
classic sign of Alzheimer’s disease.
- Thought blocking is loss of
the train of thought because of a defect in mental processing.
- Asking a patient an
open-ended question is one of the best ways to elicit or clarify information.
- The diagnosis of autism is
often made when a child is between ages 2 and 3.
- Defense mechanisms protect
the personality by reducing stress and anxiety.
- Suppression is voluntary
exclusion of stress-producing thoughts from the consciousness.
- In psychodrama, life
situations are approximated in a structured environment, allowing the
participant to recreate and enact scenes to gain insight and to practice new
skills.
- Psychodrama is a therapeutic
technique that’s used with groups to help participants gain new perception and
self-awareness by acting out their own or assigned problems.
- A patient who is taking
disulfiram (Antabuse) must avoid ingesting products that contain alcohol, such
as cough syrup, fruitcake, and sauces and soups made with cooking wine.
- A patient who is admitted to
a psychiatric hospital involuntarily loses the right to sign out against
medical advice.
- “People who live in glass
houses shouldn’t throw stones” and “A rolling stone gathers no moss” are
examples of proverbs used during a psychiatric interview to determine a
patient’s ability to think abstractly. (Schizophrenic patients think in
concrete terms and might interpret the glass house proverb as “If you throw a
stone in a glass house, the house will break.”)
- Signs of lithium toxicity
include diarrhea, tremors, nausea, muscle weakness, ataxia, and confusion.
- A labile affect is
characterized by rapid shifts of emotions and mood.
- Amnesia is loss of memory
from an organic or inorganic cause.
- A person who has borderline
personality disorder is demanding and judgmental in interpersonal relationships
and will attempt to split staff by pointing to discrepancies in the treatment
plan.
- Disulfiram (Antabuse)
shouldn’t be taken concurrently with metronidazole (Flagyl) because they may
interact and cause a psychotic reaction.
- In rare cases,
electroconvulsive therapy causes arrhythmias and death.
- A patient who is scheduled
for electroconvulsive therapy should receive nothing by mouth after midnight to
prevent aspiration while under anesthesia.
- Electroconvulsive therapy is
normally used for patients who have severe depression that doesn’t respond to
drug therapy.
- For electroconvulsive therapy
to be effective, the patient usually receives 6 to 12 treatments at a rate of 2
to 3 per week.
- During the manic phase of
bipolar affective disorder, nursing care is directed at slowing the patient
down because the patient may die as a result of self-induced exhaustion or
injury.
- For a patient with
Alzheimer’s disease, the nursing care plan should focus on safety measures.
- After sexual assault, the
patient’s needs are the primary concern, followed by medicolegal
considerations.
- Patients who are in a
maintenance program for narcotic abstinence syndrome receive 10 to 40 mg of
methadone (Dolophine) in a single daily dose and are monitored to ensure that
the drug is ingested.
- Stress management is a
short-range goal of psychotherapy.
- The mood most often
experienced by a patient with organic brain syndrome is irritability.
- Creative intuition is
controlled by the right side of the brain.
- Methohexital (Brevital) is
the general anesthetic that’s administered to patients who are scheduled for
electroconvulsive therapy.
- The decision to use
restraints should be based on the patient’s safety needs.
- Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
relieves the extrapyramidal adverse effects of psychotropic drugs.
- In a patient who is
stabilized on lithium (Eskalith) therapy, blood lithium levels should be
checked 8 to 12 hours after the first dose, then two or three times weekly
during the first month. Levels should be checked weekly to monthly during
maintenance therapy.
- The primary purpose of
psychotropic drugs is to decrease the patient’s symptoms, which improves
function and increases compliance with therapy.
- Manipulation is a maladaptive
method of meeting one’s needs because it disregards the needs and feelings of
others.
- If a patient has symptoms of
lithium toxicity, the nurse should withhold one dose and call the physician.
- A patient who is taking
lithium (Eskalith) for bipolar affective disorder must maintain a balanced diet
with adequate salt intake.
- A patient who constantly seeks
approval or assistance from staff members and other patients is demonstrating
dependent behavior.
- Alcoholics Anonymous
advocates total abstinence from alcohol.
- Methylphenidate (Ritalin) is
the drug of choice for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in
children.
- Setting limits is the most
effective way to control manipulative behavior.
- Violent outbursts are common
in a patient who has borderline personality disorder.
- When working with a depressed
patient, the nurse should explore meaningful losses.
- An illusion is a
misinterpretation of an actual environmental stimulus.
- Anxiety is nonspecific; fear
is specific.
- Extrapyramidal adverse
effects are common in patients who take antipsychotic drugs.
- The nurse should encourage an
angry patient to follow a physical exercise program as one of the ways to
ventilate feelings.
- Depression is clinically
significant if it’s characterized by exaggerated feelings of sadness,
melancholy, dejection, worthlessness, and hopelessness that are inappropriate
or out of proportion to reality.
- Free-floating anxiety is
anxiousness with generalized apprehension and pessimism for unknown reasons.
- In a patient who is
experiencing intense anxiety, the fight-or-flight reaction (alarm reflex) may
take over.
- Confabulation is the use of
imaginary experiences or made-up information to fill missing gaps of memory.
- When starting a therapeutic
relationship with a patient, the nurse should explain that the purpose of the
therapy is to produce a positive change.
- A basic assumption of
psychoanalytic theory is that all behavior has meaning.
- Catharsis is the expression
of deep feelings and emotions.
- According to the pleasure
principle, the psyche seeks pleasure and avoids unpleasant experiences,
regardless of the consequences.
- A patient who has a
conversion disorder resolves a psychological conflict through the loss of a
specific physical function (for example, paralysis, blindness, or inability to
swallow). This loss of function is involuntary, but diagnostic tests show no
organic cause.
- Chlordiazepoxide (Librium) is
the drug of choice for treating alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
- For a patient who is at risk
for alcohol withdrawal, the nurse should assess the pulse rate and blood
pressure every 2 hours for the first 12 hours, every 4 hours for the next 24
hours, and every 6 hours thereafter (unless the patient’s condition becomes
unstable).
- Alcohol detoxification is
most successful when carried out in a structured environment by a supportive,
nonjudgmental staff.
- The nurse should follow these
guidelines when caring for a patient who is experiencing alcohol withdrawal:
Maintain a calm environment, keep intrusions to a minimum, speak slowly and
calmly, adjust lighting to prevent shadows and glare, call the patient by name,
and have a friend or family member stay with the patient, if possible.
- The therapeutic regimen for
an alcoholic patient includes folic acid, thiamine, and multivitamin
supplements as well as adequate food and fluids.
- A patient who is addicted to
opiates (drugs derived from poppy seeds, such as heroin and morphine) typically
experiences withdrawal symptoms within 12 hours after the last dose. The most
severe symptoms occur within 48 hours and decrease over the next 2 weeks.
- Reactive depression is a
response to a specific life event.
- Projection is the unconscious
assigning of a thought, feeling, or action to someone or something else.
- Sublimation is the channeling
of unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable behavior.
- Repression is an unconscious
defense mechanism whereby unacceptable or painful thoughts, impulses, memories,
or feelings are pushed from the consciousness or forgotten.
- Hypochondriasis is morbid
anxiety about one’s health associated with various symptoms that aren’t caused
by organic disease.
- Denial is a refusal to
acknowledge feelings, thoughts, desires, impulses, or external facts that are
consciously intolerable.
- Reaction formation is the
avoidance of anxiety through behavior and attitudes that are the opposite of
repressed impulses and drives.
- Displacement is the transfer
of unacceptable feelings to a more acceptable object.
- Regression is a retreat to an
earlier developmental stage.
- According to Erikson, an
older adult (age 65 or older) is in the developmental stage of integrity versus
despair.
- Family therapy focuses on the
family as a whole rather than the individual. Its major objective is to
reestablish rational communication between family members.
- When caring for a patient who
is hostile or angry, the nurse should attempt to remain calm, listen
impartially, use short sentences, and speak in a firm, quiet voice.
- Ritualism and negativism are
typical toddler behaviors. They occur during the developmental stage identified
by Erikson as autonomy versus shame and doubt.
- Circumstantiality is a
disturbance in associated thought and speech patterns in which a patient gives
unnecessary, minute details and digresses into inappropriate thoughts that
delay communication of central ideas and goal achievement.
- Idea of reference is an
incorrect belief that the statements or actions of others are related to
oneself.
- Group therapy provides an
opportunity for each group member to examine interactions, learn and practice
successful interpersonal communication skills, and explore emotional conflicts.
- Korsakoff’s syndrome is
believed to be a chronic form of Wernicke’s encephalopathy. It’s marked by
hallucinations, confabulation, amnesia, and disturbances of orientation.
- A patient with antisocial
personality disorder often engages in confrontations with authority figures,
such as police, parents, and school officials.
- A patient with paranoid
personality disorder exhibits suspicion, hypervigilance, and hostility toward
others.
- Depression is the most common
psychiatric disorder.
- Adverse reactions to
tricyclic antidepressant drugs include tachycardia, orthostatic hypotension,
hypomania, lowered seizure threshold, tremors, weight gain, problems with
erections or orgasms, and anxiety.
- The Minnesota Multiphasic
Personality Inventory consists of 550 statements for the subject to interpret.
It assesses personality and detects disorders, such as depression and
schizophrenia, in adolescents and adults.
- Organic brain syndrome is the
most common form of mental illness in elderly patients.
- A person who has an IQ of
less than 20 is profoundly retarded and is considered a total-care patient.
- Reframing is a therapeutic
technique that’s used to help depressed patients to view a situation in
alternative ways.
- Fluoxetine (Prozac),
sertraline (Zoloft), and paroxetine (Paxil) are serotonin reuptake inhibitors
used to treat depression.
- The early stage of
Alzheimer’s disease lasts 2 to 4 years. Patients have inappropriate affect,
transient paranoia, disorientation to time, memory loss, careless dressing, and
impaired judgment.
- The middle stage of
Alzheimer’s disease lasts 4 to 7 years and is marked by profound personality
changes, loss of independence, disorientation, confusion, inability to
recognize family members, and nocturnal restlessness.
- The last stage of Alzheimer’s
disease occurs during the final year of life and is characterized by a blank
facial expression, seizures, loss of appetite, emaciation, irritability, and
total dependence.
- Threatening a patient with an
injection for failing to take an oral drug is an example of assault.
- Reexamination of life goals
is a major developmental task during middle adulthood.
- Acute alcohol withdrawal
causes anorexia, insomnia, headache, and restlessness and escalates to a
syndrome that’s characterized by agitation, disorientation, vivid
hallucinations, and tremors of the hands, feet, legs, and tongue.
- In a hospitalized alcoholic,
alcohol withdrawal delirium most commonly occurs 3 to 4 days after admission.
- Confrontation is a
communication technique in which the nurse points out discrepancies between the
patient’s words and his nonverbal behaviors.
- For a patient with
substance-induced delirium, the time of drug ingestion can help to determine
whether the drug can be evacuated from the body.
- Treatment for alcohol
withdrawal may include administration of I.V. glucose for hypoglycemia, I.V.
fluid containing thiamine and other B vitamins, and antianxiety, antidiarrheal,
anticonvulsant, and antiemetic drugs.
- The alcoholic patient
receives thiamine to help prevent peripheral neuropathy and Korsakoff’s
syndrome.
- Alcohol withdrawal may
precipitate seizure activity because alcohol lowers the seizure threshold in
some people.
- Paraphrasing is an active
listening technique in which the nurse restates what the patient has just said.
- A patient with Korsakoff’s
syndrome may use confabulation (made up information) to cover memory lapses or
periods of amnesia.
- People with
obsessive-compulsive disorder realize that their behavior is unreasonable, but
are powerless to control it.
- When witnessing psychiatric
patients who are engaged in a threatening confrontation, the nurse should first
separate the two individuals.
- Patients with anorexia
nervosa or bulimia must be observed during meals and for some time afterward to
ensure that they don’t purge what they have eaten.
- Transsexuals believe that they
were born the wrong gender and may seek hormonal or surgical treatment to
change their gender.
- Fugue is a dissociative state
in which a person leaves his familiar surroundings, assumes a new identity, and
has amnesia about his previous identity. (It’s also described as “flight from
himself.”)
- In a psychiatric setting, the
patient should be able to predict the nurse’s behavior and expect consistent
positive attitudes and approaches.
- When establishing a schedule
for a one-to-one interaction with a patient, the nurse should state how long
the conversation will last and then adhere to the time limit.
- Thought broadcasting is a
type of delusion in which the person believes that his thoughts are being
broadcast for the world to hear.
- Lithium should be taken with
food. A patient who is taking lithium shouldn’t restrict his sodium intake.
- A patient who is taking
lithium should stop taking the drug and call his physician if he experiences
vomiting, drowsiness, or muscle weakness.
- The patient who is taking a
monoamine oxidase inhibitor for depression can include cottage cheese, cream
cheese, yogurt, and sour cream in his diet.
- Sensory overload is a state
in which sensory stimulation exceeds the individual’s capacity to tolerate or
process it.
- Symptoms of sensory overload
include a feeling of distress and hyperarousal with impaired thinking and
concentration.
- In sensory deprivation,
overall sensory input is decreased.
- A sign of sensory deprivation
is a decrease in stimulation from the environment or from within oneself, such
as daydreaming, inactivity, sleeping excessively, and reminiscing.
- The three stages of general
adaptation syndrome are alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
- A maladaptive response to
stress is drinking alcohol or smoking excessively.
- Hyperalertness and the
startle reflex are characteristics of posttraumatic stress disorder.
- A treatment for a phobia is
desensitization, a process in which the patient is slowly exposed to the feared
stimuli.
- Symptoms of major depressive
disorder include depressed mood, inability to experience pleasure, sleep
disturbance, appetite changes, decreased libido, and feelings of worthlessness.
- Clinical signs of lithium
toxicity are nausea, vomiting, and lethargy.
- Asking too many “why”
questions yields scant information and may overwhelm a psychiatric patient and
lead to stress and withdrawal.
- Remote memory may be impaired
in the late stages of dementia.
- According to the DSM-IV,
bipolar II disorder is characterized by at least one manic episode that’s
accompanied by hypomania.
- The nurse can use silence and
active listening to promote interactions with a depressed patient.
- A psychiatric patient with a
substance abuse problem and a major psychiatric disorder has a dual diagnosis.
- When a patient is readmitted
to a mental health unit, the nurse should assess compliance with medication
orders.
- Alcohol potentiates the
effects of tricyclic antidepressants.
- Flight of ideas is movement
from one topic to another without any discernible connection.
- Conduct disorder is
manifested by extreme behavior, such as hurting people and animals.
- During the “tension-building”
phase of an abusive relationship, the abused individual feels helpless.
- In the emergency treatment of
an alcohol-intoxicated patient, determining the blood-alcohol level is
paramount in determining the amount of medication that the patient needs.
- Side effects of the
antidepressant fluoxetine (Prozac) include diarrhea, decreased libido, weight
loss, and dry mouth.
- Before electroconvulsive
therapy, the patient is given the skeletal muscle relaxant succinylcholine
(Anectine) by I.V. administration.
- When a psychotic patient is
admitted to an inpatient facility, the primary concern is safety, followed by
the establishment of trust.
- An effective way to decrease
the risk of suicide is to make a suicide contract with the patient for a
specified period of time.
- A depressed patient should be
given sufficient portions of his favorite foods, but shouldn’t be overwhelmed
with too much food.
- The nurse should assess the
depressed patient for suicidal ideation.
- Delusional thought patterns
commonly occur during the manic phase of bipolar disorder.
- Apathy is typically observed
in patients who have schizophrenia.
- Manipulative behavior is
characteristic of a patient who has passive– aggressive personality disorder.
- When a patient who has
schizophrenia begins to hallucinate, the nurse should redirect the patient to
activities that are focused on the here and now.
- When a patient who is
receiving an antipsychotic drug exhibits muscle rigidity and tremors, the nurse
should administer an antiparkinsonian drug (for example, Cogentin or Artane) as
ordered.
- A patient who is receiving
lithium (Eskalith) therapy should report diarrhea, vomiting, drowsiness,
muscular weakness, or lack of coordination to the physician immediately.
- The therapeutic serum level
of lithium (Eskalith) for maintenance is 0.6 to 1.2 mEq/L.
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
is an anxiety-related disorder.
- Al-Anon is a self-help group
for families of alcoholics.
- Desensitization is a
treatment for phobia, or irrational fear.
- After electroconvulsive
therapy, the patient is placed in the lateral position, with the head turned to
one side.
- A delusion is a fixed false
belief.
- Giving away personal
possessions is a sign of suicidal ideation. Other signs include writing a
suicide note or talking about suicide.
- Agoraphobia is fear of open
spaces.
- A person who has paranoid
personality disorder projects hostilities onto others.
- To assess a patient’s
judgment, the nurse should ask the patient what he would do if he found a
stamped, addressed envelope. An appropriate response is that he would mail the
envelope.
- After electroconvulsive
therapy, the patient should be monitored for post-shock amnesia.
- A mother who continues to
perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation after a physician pronounces a child dead
is showing denial.
- Transvestism is a desire to
wear clothes usually worn by members of the opposite sex.
- Tardive dyskinesia causes
excessive blinking and unusual movement of the tongue, and involuntary sucking
and chewing.
- Trihexyphenidyl (Artane) and
benztropine (Cogentin) are administered to counteract extrapyramidal adverse
effects.
- To prevent hypertensive crisis,
a patient who is taking a monoamine oxidase inhibitor should avoid consuming
aged cheese, caffeine, beer, yeast, chocolate, liver, processed foods, and
monosodium glutamate.
- Extrapyramidal symptoms
include parkinsonism, dystonia, akathisia (“ants in the pants”), and tardive
dyskinesia.
- One theory that supports the
use of electroconvulsive therapy suggests that it “resets” the brain circuits
to allow normal function.
- A patient who has
obsessive-compulsive disorder usually recognizes the senselessness of his
behavior but is powerless to stop it (ego-dystonia).
- In helping a patient who has
been abused, physical safety is the nurse’s first priority.
- Pemoline (Cylert) is used to
treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
- Clozapine (Clozaril) is
contraindicated in pregnant women and in patients who have severe
granulocytopenia or severe central nervous system depression.
- Repression, an unconscious
process, is the inability to recall painful or unpleasant thoughts or feelings.
- Projection is shifting of
unwanted characteristics or shortcomings to others (scapegoat).
- Hypnosis is used to treat
psychogenic amnesia.
- Disulfiram (Antabuse) is
administered orally as an aversion therapy to treat alcoholism.
- Ingestion of alcohol by a
patient who is taking disulfiram (Antabuse) can cause severe reactions,
including nausea and vomiting, and may endanger the patient’s life.
- Improved concentration is a
sign that lithium is taking effect.
- Behavior modification,
including time-outs, token economy, or a reward system, is a treatment for
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
- For a patient who has
anorexia nervosa, the nurse should provide support at mealtime and record the
amount the patient eats.
- A significant toxic risk
associated with clozapine (Clozaril) administration is blood dyscrasia.
- Adverse effects of
haloperidol (Haldol) administration include drowsiness; insomnia; weakness;
headache; and extrapyramidal symptoms, such as akathisia, tardive dyskinesia,
and dystonia.
- Hypervigilance and déjà vu
are signs of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- A child who shows
dissociation has probably been abused.
- Confabulation is the use of
fantasy to fill in gaps of memory- According to Kübler-Ross, the five stages of
death and dying are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
- Flight of ideas is an
alteration in thought processes that’s characterized by skipping from one topic
to another, unrelated topic.
- La belle indifférence is the
lack of concern for a profound disability, such as blindness or paralysis that
may occur in a patient who has a conversion disorder.
- Moderate anxiety decreases a
person’s ability to perceive and concentrate. The person is selectively
inattentive (focuses on immediate concerns), and the perceptual field narrows.
- A patient who has a phobic
disorder uses self-protective avoidance as an ego defense mechanism.
- In a patient who has anorexia
nervosa, the highest treatment priority is correction of nutritional and
electrolyte imbalances.
- A patient who is taking
lithium must undergo regular (usually once a month) monitoring of the blood
lithium level because the margin between therapeutic and toxic levels is
narrow. A normal laboratory value is 0.5 to 1.5 mEq/L.
- Early signs and symptoms of
alcohol withdrawal include anxiety, anorexia, tremors, and insomnia. They may
begin up to 8 hours after the last alcohol intake.
- Al-Anon is a support group
for families of alcoholics.
- The nurse shouldn’t
administer chlorpromazine (Thorazine) to a patient who has ingested alcohol
because it may cause oversedation and respiratory depression.
- Lithium toxicity can occur
when sodium and fluid intake are insufficient, causing lithium retention.
- An alcoholic who achieves
sobriety is called a recovering alcoholic because no cure for alcoholism
exists.
- According to Erikson, the
school-age child (ages 6 to 12) is in the industry-versus-inferiority stage of
psychosocial development.
- When caring for a depressed
patient, the nurse’s first priority is safety because of the increased risk of
suicide.
- Echolalia is parrotlike
repetition of another person’s words or phrases.
- According to psychoanalytic
theory, the ego is the part of the psyche that controls internal demands and
interacts with the outside world at the conscious, preconscious, and
unconscious levels.
- According to psychoanalytic
theory, the superego is the part of the psyche that’s composed of morals,
values, and ethics. It continually evaluates thoughts and actions, rewarding
the good and punishing the bad. (Think of the superego as the “supercop” of the
unconscious.)
- According to psychoanalytic
theory, the id is the part of the psyche that contains instinctual drives.
(Remember i for instinctual and d for drive.)
- Denial is the defense
mechanism used by a patient who denies the reality of an event.
- In a psychiatric setting,
seclusion is used to reduce overwhelming environmental stimulation, protect the
patient from self-injury or injury to others, and prevent damage to hospital
property. It’s used for patients who don’t respond to less restrictive
interventions. Seclusion controls external behavior until the patient can
assume self-control and helps the patient to regain self-control.
- Tyramine-rich food, such as
aged cheese, chicken liver, avocados, bananas, meat tenderizer, salami,
bologna, Chianti wine, and beer may cause severe hypertension in a patient who
takes a monoamine oxidase inhibitor.
- A patient who takes a
monoamine oxidase inhibitor should be weighed biweekly and monitored for
suicidal tendencies.
- If the patient who takes a
monoamine oxidase inhibitor has palpitations, headaches, or severe orthostatic
hypotension, the nurse should withhold the drug and notify the physician.
- Common causes of child abuse
are poor impulse control by the parents and the lack of knowledge of growth and
development.
- The diagnosis of Alzheimer’s
disease is based on clinical findings of two or more cognitive deficits,
progressive worsening of memory, and the results of a neuropsychological test.
- Memory disturbance is a
classic sign of Alzheimer’s disease.
- Thought blocking is loss of
the train of thought because of a defect in mental processing.
- A compulsion is an
irresistible urge to perform an irrational act, such as walking in a clockwise
circle before leaving a room or washing the hands repeatedly.
- A patient who has a chosen
method and a plan to commit suicide in the next 48 to 72 hours is at high risk
for suicide.
- The therapeutic serum level
for lithium is 0.5 to 1.5 mEq/L.
- Phobic disorders are treated
with desensitization therapy, which gradually exposes a patient to an
anxiety-producing stimulus.
- Dysfunctional grieving is
absent or prolonged grief.
- During phase I of the
nurse-patient relationship (beginning, or orientation, phase), the nurse
obtains an initial history and the nurse and the patient agree to a contract.
- During phase II of the
nurse-patient relationship (middle, or working, phase), the patient discusses
his problems, behavioral changes occur, and self-defeating behavior is resolved
or reduced.
- During phase III of the
nurse-patient relationship (termination, or resolution, phase), the nurse
terminates the therapeutic relationship and gives the patient positive feedback
on his accomplishments.
- According to Freud, a person
between ages 12 and 20 is in the genital stage, during which he learns
independence, has an increased interest in members of the opposite sex, and
establishes an identity.
- According to Erikson, the
identity-versus-role confusion stage occurs between ages 12 and 20.
- Tolerance is the need for
increasing amounts of a substance to achieve an effect that formerly was
achieved with lesser amounts.
- Suicide is the third leading
cause of death among white teenagers.
- Most teenagers who kill
themselves made a previous suicide attempt and left telltale signs of their
plans.
- In Erikson’s stage of
generativity versus despair, generativity (investment of the self in the
interest of the larger community) is expressed through procreation, work,
community service, and creative endeavors.
- Alcoholics Anonymous
recommends a 12-step program to achieve sobriety.
- Signs and symptoms of
anorexia nervosa include amenorrhea, excessive weight loss, lanugo (fine body
hair), abdominal distention, and electrolyte disturbances.
- A serum lithium level that
exceeds 2.0 mEq/L is considered toxic.
- Public Law 94-247 (Child
Abuse and Neglect Act of 1973) requires reporting of suspected cases of child
abuse to child protection services.
- The nurse should suspect
sexual abuse in a young child who has blood in the feces or urine, penile or
vaginal discharge, genital trauma that isn’t readily explained, or a sexually
transmitted disease.
- An alcoholic uses alcohol to
cope with the stresses of life.
- The human personality
operates on three levels: conscious, preconscious, and unconscious.
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