Which nursing intervention is vital to the effective management of a psychiatric emer-gency resulting from a patient's experience of extreme despair?
a. Suicide precautions
b. Introduction to a support group
c. Introducing new coping mechanisms
d. Assessment for obsessive-compulsive rituals
ANS: A
A psychiatric emergency involves a sudden and serious psychological disturbance that results in a behavioral state that requires intervention to prevent a life-threatening or psychologically damaging consequence. Despair is often associated with the patient's attempt at self-harm and so suicide precautions are vital to emergency management in the situation. Obses-sive-compulsive behavior is not generally seen as a response to despair. The remaining inter-ventions would not be considered during emergency management.
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