The patient is receiving escitalopram (Lexapro) for treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. The patient asks the nurse, "I am just nervous, not depressed. Why am I taking an antidepressant medicine?" What is the best response by the nurse?

1. "The same brain chemicals are involved with anxiety as well as depression, and these medications are very safe."
2. "You are really depressed; it is just manifested as anxiety. These medications are safer than benzodiazepines."
3. "Your doctor thinks that this is the best treatment for your anxiety, and these medications are safer than benzodiazepines."
4. "The two disorders go together, and if you treat depression, the anxiety goes away."


Correct Answer: 1
Rationale: Antidepressants are frequently used to treat symptoms of anxiety. They reduce anxiety by altering levels of norepinephrine and serotonin. These neurotransmitters are also involved in depression. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are safer than benzodiazepines, but depression and anxiety are two separate disorders. The patient is being treated for generalized anxiety, this is different from depression. Telling the patient that the doctor knows best is a condescending reply, and does not answer the patient's question.

Nursing

You might also like to view...

The nurse sees a visitor exit a client's room into the hallway and faint, falling on the floor unconscious. The nurse has the visitor taken to the Emergency Department, notifies the supervisor, and completes an incident report

The nurse's next action is to: 1. Document in the chart of the client whose room the visitor exited that an event occurred, and describe the event objectively. 2. Initiate a new client medical record for the visitor and document the event objectively. 3. Give the completed report to the nursing supervisor. 4. File the incident report in the chart of the client whose room the visitor exited.

Nursing

A nurse is planning care for a client who is hyperventilating. The client's arterial blood gas values are pH 7.30, PaO2 94 mm Hg, PaCO2 31 mm Hg, and HCO3- 26 mEq/L. Which question should the nurse ask when developing this client's plan of care?

a. "Do you take any over-the-counter medications?" b. "You appear anxious. What is causing your distress?" c. "Do you have a history of anxiety attacks?" d. "You are breathing fast. Is this causing you to feel light-headed?

Nursing

The system called Pay for Performance (P4P) is also known as which of the following?

1. Value-based purchasing (VBP) 2. Diagnostic related groups 3. Children's Health Initiative Program 4. Medicaid

Nursing

Which intervention will best help minimize parental guilt in the family of a child diag-nosed with a psychiatric disorder?

a. Helping them to develop realistic expectations for their child b. Educating them on the need to provide the child with boundaries c. Providing them with information regarding locally available services d. Encouraging them to use respite care periodically to allow for downtime

Nursing