Author Question: A psychiatricmental health nurse has been careful to appropriately assess an older adult client for ... (Read 54 times)

shofmannx20 · **on:** Jul 19, 2018

A psychiatricmental health nurse has been careful to appropriately assess an older adult client for suicide risk. Which of the following statements regarding suicide in older adults is accurate?

A) Suicide attempts are more successful among younger individuals compared to older individuals.
B) Older individuals are more likely to choose a lethal method of suicide.
C) Older individuals are more likely to recover from a suicide attempt than are younger individuals.
D) In older adults, suicide is more common in females than in males.

Question 2

A 72-year-old woman states that she has trouble sleeping and that her appetite has declined.

She also tells the nurse she hasn't been getting out much lately. Findings from her physical examination and laboratory studies are normal. Based on these data, the nurse should first do which of the following?
A) Collaborate with the physician to have a sleeping medication ordered and suggest that she get more exercise to stimulate her appetite.
B) Teach her that her symptoms are associated with the normal aging process but that exercise will help.
C) Schedule a follow-up appointment in 3 months to monitor her health.
D) Screen her for depression.

jrpg123456 · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 19, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Ans: B
Feedback:
Although currently older people account for less than 13 of the national population, the ratios of attempts to completed suicides are 150:1 in the young but 4:1 in older adults. Older people use methods that are more likely to be lethal, have a greater motivation to die, have poorer recuperative powers, are more socially isolated, and have more chronic conditions and disability. The risk of suicide accrues with age and is gender related. The highest rate of suicide is in white men 85 years or older.

Answer to Question 2

Ans: D
Feedback:
Physical health and mental health are intertwined closely, especially in older adults. Clients with a psychiatric illness may first present with somatic symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disturbance, and weight loss. Physical illness such as vascular dementia and delirium (see Chapter 33) may appear with psychiatric symptoms of delusions, agitation, and mood and behavior changes. Similarly, chronic medical conditions are associated with psychiatric illness, particularly depression.