A patient with acute mania approaches the nurse, waves a newspaper, and says, "I want the phone right now. I need to call this store while their sale is going on. I need ten dresses and four pairs of shoes."

Question

Select the nurse's best intervention. a. Suggest the patient ask a friend do the shopping and bring purchases to the unit.
b. Invite the patient to sit with the nurse and look at new fashion magazines.
c. Tell the patient phone use is not allowed until self-control is improved.
d. Ask whether the patient has enough money to pay for the purchases.

Answer 1

B
Situations such as this offer an opportunity to use the patient's distractibility to staff's advantage. Patients become frustrated when staff denies requests the patient sees as entirely reasonable. Distracting the patient can avoid power struggles. It is important to satisfy the patient's need for immediacy but avoid an extravagant expenditure. Provoking the patient would likely precipitate an angry response.