Select the best question for a psychiatric forensic nurse ...

[burchfield96]

Select the best question for a psychiatric forensic nurse examiner to ask when assessing the legal sanity of an individual charged with a crime.
 
  a. Tell me about what you were thinking at the time of the alleged crime.
  b. What would you do if you heard a fire alarm going off where you live?
  c. At this time, are you having any experiences that others might think strange?
  d. Do you feel as though you would like to harm yourself or anyone else at the present time?

Question 2

In which circumstance would a psychiatric forensic nurse examiner determine it appropriate for a defendant and attorney to consider the insanity defense? At the time of the crime, the defendant:
 
  a. shot a drug dealer who tried to overcharge for cocaine.
  b. acted on auditory hallucinations of the voice of God commanding, Kill the children.
  c. tampered with the brakes on his wife's car after discovering she had an extramarital affair.
  d. was frightened because of a home robbery the preceding night, assumed a family member was another burglar, and shot him.

[EAN94]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: A
Legal sanity refers to the individual's ability to know right from wrong with reference to the act charged, the capacity to know the nature and quality of the act charged, and the capacity to form the intent to commit the crime. It is determined for the specific time of the act. The distracters apply to other parts of a mental status assessment and do not assess the patient's state at the time of the alleged crime.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: B
The defendant, demonstrating symptoms of psychosis and acting on the direction of command hallucinations, could use the defense of legal insanity because he was unable to recognize his action as wrong due to a psychiatric illness. The other options suggest the defendant knew right from wrong, had the capacity to know the nature and quality of the act, and had the capacity to form intent to commit the crime.