Exam 22: Suicide and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury

It has been 3 days since a suicidal patient was hospitalized and prescribed an antidepressant medication. The patient is now more talkative and shows increased energy. Select the highest priority nursing intervention.

Which statement by a depressed patient will alert the nurse to the patient's need for immediate, active intervention?

A college student who attempted suicide by overdose was hospitalized. When the parents were contacted, they responded, "We should have seen this coming. We did not do enough." The parents' reaction reflects which of the following?

Which statement provides the best rationale for closely monitoring a severely depressed patient during antidepressant medication therapy?

A college student who failed two tests cried for hours and then tried to telephone a parent but got no answer. The student then gave several expensive sweaters to a roommate and asked to be left alone for a few hours. Which behaviour provides the strongest clue of an impending suicide attempt?

Which measure would be considered a form of primary intervention for suicide?

A tearful, anxious patient at the outpatient clinic reports, "I should be dead." The initial task of the nurse conducting the assessment interview is to do which of the following?

An adult outpatient diagnosed with major depression has a history of several suicide attempts by overdose. Given this patient's history and diagnosis, which antidepressant medication would the nurse expect to be prescribed?