Online Nursing Bullets

• The patient who is taking a monoamine oxidase inhibitor for depression can include cottage cheese, cream cheese, yogurt, and sour cream in his diet.
• Sensory overload is a state in which sensory stimulation exceeds the individual’s capacity to tolerate or process it.
• Symptoms of sensory overload include a feeling of distress and hyperarousal with impaired thinking and concentration.
• In sensory deprivation, overall sensory input is decreased.
• A sign of sensory deprivation is a decrease in stimulation from the environment or from within oneself, such as daydreaming, inactivity, sleeping excessively, and reminiscing.
• The three stages of general adaptation syndrome are alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
• A maladaptive response to stress is drinking alcohol or smoking excessively.
• Hyperalertness and the startle reflex are characteristics of posttraumatic stress disorder.
• A treatment for a phobia is desensitization, a process in which the patient is slowly exposed to the feared stimuli.
• Symptoms of major depressive disorder include depressed mood, inability to experience pleasure, sleep disturbance, appetite changes, decreased libido, and feelings of worthlessness.
• Clinical signs of lithium toxicity are nausea, vomiting, and lethargy.
• Asking too many “why” questions yields scant information and may overwhelm a psychiatric patient and lead to stress and withdrawal.
• Remote memory may be impaired in the late stages of dementia.
• According to the DSM-IV, bipolar II disorder is characterized by at least one manic episode that’s accompanied by hypomania.
• The nurse can use silence and active listening to promote interactions with a depressed patient.
• A psychiatric patient with a substance abuse problem and a major psychiatric disorder has a dual diagnosis.
• When a patient is readmitted to a mental health unit, the nurse should assess compliance with medication orders.
• Alcohol potentiates the effects of tricyclic antidepressants.
• Flight of ideas is movement from one topic to another without any discernible connection.
• Conduct disorder is manifested by extreme behavior, such as hurting people and animals.
• During the “tension-building” phase of an abusive relationship, the abused individual feels helpless.
• In the emergency treatment of an alcohol-intoxicated patient, determining the blood-alcohol level is paramount in determining the amount of medication that the patient needs.
• Side effects of the antidepressant fluoxetine (Prozac) include diarrhea, decreased libido, weight loss, and dry mouth.
• Before electroconvulsive therapy, the patient is given the skeletal muscle relaxant succinylcholine (Anectine) by I.V. administration.
• When a psychotic patient is admitted to an inpatient facility, the primary concern is safety, followed by the establishment of trust.
• An effective way to decrease the risk of suicide is to make a suicide contract with the patient for a specified period of time.
• A depressed patient should be given sufficient portions of his favorite foods, but shouldn’t be overwhelmed with too much food.
• The nurse should assess the depressed patient for suicidal ideation.
• Delusional thought patterns commonly occur during the manic phase of bipolar disorder.
• Apathy is typically observed in patients who have schizophrenia.
• Manipulative behavior is characteristic of a patient who has passive– aggressive personality disorder.
• When a patient who has schizophrenia begins to hallucinate, the nurse should redirect the patient to activities that are focused on the here and now.
• When a patient who is receiving an antipsychotic drug exhibits muscle rigidity and tremors, the nurse should administer an antiparkinsonian drug (for example, Cogentin or Artane) as ordered.
• A patient who is receiving lithium (Eskalith) therapy should report diarrhea, vomiting, drowsiness, muscular weakness, or lack of coordination to the physician immediately.
• The therapeutic serum level of lithium (Eskalith) for maintenance is 0.6 to 1.2 mEq/L.

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