A student nurse has been assigned to provide care for an inpatient psychiatric–mental health patient who has a diagnosis of schizophrenia, paranoid type
This student is apprehensive about interacting with this patient, and the patient's detailed explanations of his delusions accompanied by unpredictable movements have prompted fear in the student. How should this nursing student interpret such feelings?
A) Despite their unusual behavior, patients with schizophrenia do not pose a safety risk to care providers.
B) Being afraid of a patient who has schizophrenia is a result of stereotyping.
C) It is natural to feel fear when a patient exhibits unpredictable behavior, and this can cause the student to be reasonably cautious.
D) These feelings are best divulged to the patient himself, and doing so can foster the openness that promotes a therapeutic relationship.
Ans: C
A student may experience fear if the client exhibits unpredictable behavior. Fear is a normal response that results in the exercise of caution. Experiencing fear is not evidence of stereotyping, and divulging fear to the patient or client is unlikely to benefit either the student or the client. The risk of violence is a reality, though the risk differs with each client.
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