1. Which characteristics suggest a man is experiencing the prodromal phase of schizophrenia?

Select all that apply.

a. Always afraid that others will steal his belongings.

b. Displays unusual interest in numbers and specific topics.

c. Has increasingly unusual thoughts and uses words oddly.

d. Demonstrates increasing difficulty with concentration.

2. Which nursing interventions are particularly well chosen for addressing a population at high risk for
developing schizophrenia? Select all that apply.

a. Screening 15- to 25-year-olds for early symptoms.

b. Forming a support group for females aged 25 to 35 who are diagnosed with substance use disorders.

c. Teaching ways to cope and build resiliency.

d. Educating about the risk of psychosis with marijuana use.

3. To provide effective care for the patient who is taking a second-generation antipsychotic, the nurse
should frequently assess for

a. Alcohol use disorder

b. Major depressive disorder

c. Stomach cancer

d. Polydipsia

e. Metabolic syndrome

4. A female patient diagnosed with schizophrenia has been prescribed a first-generation antipsychotic
medication. What information should the nurse provide to the patient regarding her signs and
symptoms?
a. Her memory problems will likely decrease.

b. Depressive episodes should be less severe.

c. She will probably enjoy social interactions more.

d. She should experience a reduction in hallucinations.

5. Which characteristic presents the greatest risk for injury to others by the patient diagnosed with
schizophrenia?

a. Depersonalization

b. Pressured speech

c. Negative symptoms

d. Paranoia

6. Which therapeutic communication statement might a psychiatric–mental health registered nurse use
when a patient’s nursing diagnosis is hallucinations? Select all that apply.

a. “I know you say you hear voices, but I cannot hear them.”

b. “Stop listening to the voices, they are NOT real.”

c. “Tell me more about what you hear.”

d. “Please tell the voices to leave you alone for now.”

7. When patients diagnosed with schizophrenia suffer from anosognosia, they often refuse medication,
believing that

a. The medications provided are ineffective.

b. Nurses are trying to control their minds.

c. The medications will make them sick.

d. They are not actually ill.

8. Kyle, a patient with schizophrenia, began to take the first-generation antipsychotic haloperidol (Haldol)
a week ago. You find him sitting stiffly and not moving. He is diaphoretic, and when you ask if he is okay,
he seems unable to respond verbally. His vital signs are: BP 170/100, P 110, T 104.2°F. What is the
priority nursing intervention? Select all that apply.

a. Hold his medication and contact his prescriber stat.

b. Wipe him with a washcloth that has been wetted with cold water or alcohol.

c. Administer an “as needed” medication such as benztropine intramuscularly to correct his dystonic
reaction.

d. Reassure him that no treatment is needed and that this reaction will pass.

e. Hold his medication for now and consult his prescriber when he comes to the unit later today.

9. Tomas is a 21-year-old male with a recent diagnosis of schizophrenia. Tomas’s nurse recognizes that
self-medicating with excessive alcohol is common in this disorder and can be an effort to: Select all that
apply.

a. Self-medicate for social discomfort.

b. Cope with anxiety.

c. Enhance mood.

d. Enable Tomas to better express himself.

10. A patient reports that “the voices are really bad today.” Helpful nursing responses would include

a. Giving an additional “as needed” dosage of his antipsychotic medication.

b. Telling him that the voices are not real and that he should ignore them.

c. Directing him to return to his room and try not to think about the voices.

d. Encouraging the patient to use competing auditory stimuli, such as humming or listening to music.