Psychotic Disorders no. 4034

Psychotic Disorders no. 4034

QUESTION: A client with paranoid schizophrenia is admitted to the psychiatric unit of a hospital. Nursing assessment should include careful observation of the client's:

✓O a.) thinking, perceiving, and decision-making skills.
✘O b.) verbal and nonverbal communication processes.
✘O c.) affect and behavior.
✘O d.) psychomotor activity.

RATIONALE

RATIONALE: Nursing assessment of a psychotic client should include careful inquiry about and observation of the client's thinking, perceiving, symbolizing, and decision-making skills and abilities. Assessment of such a client typically reveals alterations in thought content and process, perception, affect, and psychomotor behavior; changes in personality, coping, and sense of self; lack of self-motivation; presence of psychosocial stressors; and degeneration of adaptive functioning. Although assessing communication processes, affect, behavior, and psychomotor activity would reveal important information about the client's condition, the nurse should concentrate on determining whether the client is hallucinating by assessing thought processes and decision-making ability.
NURSING PROCESS STEP: Assessment
CLIENT NEEDS CATEGORY: Psychosocial integrity
CLIENT NEEDS SUBCATEGORY: None
COGNITIVE LEVEL: Knowledge