PSYCHIATRIC NURSING

Ruth, a client begins taking haloperidol (Haldol). After a few days, she experiences severe tonic contractures of muscles in the neck, mouth, and tongue. The nurse should recognize this as:

dystonia.

Ed, a psychotic client reports to the evening nurse that the day nurse put something suspicious in his water with his medication. The nurse replies, "You're worried about your medication?" The nurse's communication is:

focusing on emotional content

Ofel, a client with paranoid type schizophrenia becomes angry and tells the nurse to leave her alone. The nurse should:

tell her that she'll leave for now but will return soon.

Seng, a 24-year-old client is experiencing an acute schizophrenic episode. She has vivid hallucinations that are making him agitated. The nurse's best response at this time would be to:

explore the content of the hallucinations.