A student tells the school nurse, My friend threatened to take an ...

[joe]

A student tells the school nurse, My friend threatened to take an overdose of pills. The nurse talks to the friend who verbalized the suicidal threat. Select the most critical question for the nurse to ask.
 
  a. Why do you want to kill yourself?
  b. Do you have access to medications?
  c. Have you been taking drugs and alcohol?
  d. Did something happen with your parents?

Question 2

A patient with rapid-cycling bipolar disorder is not responding to lithium therapy. At the next multidisciplinary team meeting, the nurse should point out that many rapid-cycling patients have been effectively treated using
 
  a. sertraline (Zoloft).
  b. phenytoin (Dilantin).
  c. benztropine (Cogentin).
  d. divalproex (Depakote).

[kaykay69]

Answer to Question 1

B
The nurse must assess the patient's access to a means to carry out the plan and, if there is access, alert the parents to remove the medications from the home. The information in the other questions is important to ask, but it is not the most critical.

Answer to Question 2

D
Valproates (like divalproex) are considered first-line agents in the treatment of mania. Valproates are especially effective in the treatment of rapid-cycling bipolar disorders. None of the other drugs mentioned are indicated for treatment of manic states.

[joe]

Correct answers!

[kaykay69]

Great! Please up vote