A 75-year-old male patient is brought to the emergency department by his family because he is "talking to people who aren't there
" During the initial admission assessment, his daughter mentions that her mother died 4 months ago and "Dad just hasn't been the same. The doctor has even put him on antidepressant medication. I go by the house every day to make sure he takes his medication." What would the nurse suspect is happening to this patient? A) The patient is having hallucinations as an adverse effect of his antidepressant medication.
B) The mental status change is due to the patient's age.
C) The patient probably has a urinary tract infection.
D) The patient is having delusions because of his depression over the loss of his wife.
A
Feedback:
Older patients may be more susceptible to the adverse effects of antidepressants from unanticipated central nervous system effects to increased sedation, dizziness, and even hallucinations. Although an infection cannot be ruled out without further testing, the history would lead the nurse to the antidepressants as the most likely cause.
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