A patient became severely depressed when the last of six children moved out of the home 4 months ago. The patient repeatedly says, "No one cares about me. I'm not worth anything." Which response by the nurse would be the most helpful?
a. "Things will look brighter soon. Everyone feels down once in a while."
b. "The staff here cares about you and wants to try to help you get better."
c. "It is difficult for others to care about you when you repeatedly say the same negative things."
d. "I'll sit with you for 10 minutes now and return for 10 minutes at lunchtime and again at 2:30 this afternoon."
ANS: D
Spending time with the patient at intervals throughout the day shows acceptance by the nurse and helps the patient establish a relationship with the nurse. The therapeutic technique is called offering self. Setting definite times for the therapeutic contacts and keeping the appointments show predictability on the part of the nurse, an element that fosters the building of trust. The incorrect responses would be difficult for a person with profound depression to believe, provide trite reassurance, and are counterproductive. The patient is unable to say positive things at this point.
You might also like to view...
What drug will the nurse plan to have available for immediate IV administration whenever magnesium sulfate is administered to a maternity patient?
a. Ergonovine maleate (Ergotrate) b. Oxytocin c. Calcium gluconate d. Hydralazine (Apresoline)
A characteristic trait of an individual with __________ disorder is that they may be extremely orderly and overly preoccupied with details that they may accomplish very little
Fill in the blank(s) with correct word
The nurse is preparing to administer a vaginal prostaglandin preparation to ripen the cervix of a client. With which client should the nurse question the use of vaginal prostaglandin as a cervical ripening agent?
a. The client who has a Bishop's score of 5 b. The client who is at 42 weeks of gestation c. The client who had a previous low transverse cesarean birth d. The client who had previous surgery in the upper uterus
The adrenal glands secrete:
a. Parathormone b. Epinephrine and norepinephrine c. Insulin d. Adrenocorticotropic hormone