A 42-year-old female has had 12 hospitalizations for chronic ...

[lak]

A 42-year-old female has had 12 hospitalizations for chronic schizophrenia. Since being dis-charged 9 days ago, she appears poorly motivated and sits around her house most of the day.
 
  Her brother asked the advanced practice nurse to arrange for her to be committed because he thinks she needs more treatment. The nurse evaluates the data and informs the brother that she cannot be committed because:
  1. It has been less than 2 weeks since her discharge
  2. There is no evidence she is a danger to herself or others
  3. She has used up her managed care insurance coverage
  4. She has not voluntarily requested hospitalization

Question 2

A 34-year-old male has been charged with assault with intent to commit murder. He has been hallucinating, and his lawyer has requested a competency hearing. Select the priority question to ask to assess his competency to stand trial:
 
  1. Can you describe your hallucinations?
  2. Were you ever abused as a child?
  3. Can you describe for me the charges against you?
  4. Can you explain why you would want to assault your brother?

[johnpizzaz]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: 2
Emergency or judicial commitments are reserved for individuals who pose a threat to self or oth-ers. Options 1 and 3 are irrelevant. Option 4 is unnecessary.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: 3
Competency to stand trial is a narrow concept based on the person's awareness of the legal pro-cess. Options 1, 2, and 4 are concerned with the individual's symptoms, past experience, and motives rather than his ability to understand the legal processes.