C HAPTER 24: P ERSONALITY D ISORDERS
Halter: Varcarolis’ Foundations of Psychiatric -Mental Health Nursing: A
Clinical Approach, 9th Edition
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which statement made by a client dia gnosed with borderline personalit y
disorder indicates the treatment plan is effective?
a. “I think you are the best nurse on the unit.”
b. “I’m never going to get high on drugs again.”
c. “I felt empt y and wanted to hurt m yself, so I called you.”
d. “I hate m y mother. I called her today, and she wasn’t home.”
ANS: C
Seeking a staff member instead of impulsivel y self -mutilating shows an
adaptive coping strategy. The incorrect responses demonstrate
idealization, devaluation, and wishful thinking.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Anal yze (Anal ysis) TOP:
Nursing Process: Evaluation MSC: Client Needs: Psychosocial
Integrit y
2. When preparing to interview a client diagnosed with narcissistic
personalit y disorder, a nurse can anticipate the assessment findings will
include which characteristics?
a. preoccupation with minute details; perfectionist.
b. charm, drama, seductiveness; seeking admiration.
, c. difficult y being alone; indecisive, submissiveness.
d. grandiosit y, self -importance, and a sense of entitlement.
ANS: D
The characteristics of grandiosit y, self -importance, and entitlement are
consistent with narcissistic personalit y disorder. Charm, drama,
seductiveness, and admiration seeking are seen in clients with
histrionic personality disorder. Preoccupation with minute details and
perfectionism are seen in individuals with obsessive -compulsive
personalit y disorder. Clients with dependent personalit y disorder often
express difficult y being alone and are indecisive and submissive.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Understand (Comprehen sion)
TOP: Nursing Process: Assessment MSC: Client Needs:
Psychosocial Integrity
3. For which client behavior would limit setting be most essential?
a. The client who clings to the nurse and asks for advice about
inconsequential matters.
b. The client who is fli rtatious and provocative with staff members of
the opposite sex.
c. The client who is hypervigilant and refuses to attend unit activities.
d. The client who urges a suspicious client to hit anyone who stares.
ANS: D
This is a manipulative behavior. Because man ipulation violates the
rights of others, limit setting is absolutely necessary. Furthermore,
limit setting is necessary in this case because the safet y of at least two
, other clients is at risk. Limit setting may occasionall y be used with
dependent behavior (clinging to the nurse) and histrionic behavior
(flirting with staff members), but other therapeutic techniques are also
useful. Limit setting is not needed for a client who is hypervigilant and
refuses to attend unit activities; rather, the need to devel op trust is
central to client compliance.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Anal yze (Anal ysis) TOP:
Nursing Process: Planning MSC: Client Needs: Safe,
Effective Care Environment
4. The nurse caring for an individual demonstrating symptoms of schizot ypal
personalit y disorder would expect assessment findings to include what
characteristics?
a. arrogant, grandiose, and a sense of self -importance.
b. attention seeking, melodramatic, and flirtatious.
c. impulsive, restless, sociall y aggressive behavior.
d. sociall y anxious, rambling stories, peculiar ideas.
ANS: D
Individuals with schizot ypal personalit y disorder do not want to be
involved in relationships. They are shy and introverted, speak little,
and prefer fantasy and daydreaming to being involved with real people.
The other behaviors would characteristicall y be noted in narcissistic,
histrionic, and antisocial personalit y disorder.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Understand (Comprehension)
TOP: Nursing Process: Assessment MSC: Client Needs:
Psychosocial Integrity
Halter: Varcarolis’ Foundations of Psychiatric -Mental Health Nursing: A
Clinical Approach, 9th Edition
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which statement made by a client dia gnosed with borderline personalit y
disorder indicates the treatment plan is effective?
a. “I think you are the best nurse on the unit.”
b. “I’m never going to get high on drugs again.”
c. “I felt empt y and wanted to hurt m yself, so I called you.”
d. “I hate m y mother. I called her today, and she wasn’t home.”
ANS: C
Seeking a staff member instead of impulsivel y self -mutilating shows an
adaptive coping strategy. The incorrect responses demonstrate
idealization, devaluation, and wishful thinking.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Anal yze (Anal ysis) TOP:
Nursing Process: Evaluation MSC: Client Needs: Psychosocial
Integrit y
2. When preparing to interview a client diagnosed with narcissistic
personalit y disorder, a nurse can anticipate the assessment findings will
include which characteristics?
a. preoccupation with minute details; perfectionist.
b. charm, drama, seductiveness; seeking admiration.
, c. difficult y being alone; indecisive, submissiveness.
d. grandiosit y, self -importance, and a sense of entitlement.
ANS: D
The characteristics of grandiosit y, self -importance, and entitlement are
consistent with narcissistic personalit y disorder. Charm, drama,
seductiveness, and admiration seeking are seen in clients with
histrionic personality disorder. Preoccupation with minute details and
perfectionism are seen in individuals with obsessive -compulsive
personalit y disorder. Clients with dependent personalit y disorder often
express difficult y being alone and are indecisive and submissive.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Understand (Comprehen sion)
TOP: Nursing Process: Assessment MSC: Client Needs:
Psychosocial Integrity
3. For which client behavior would limit setting be most essential?
a. The client who clings to the nurse and asks for advice about
inconsequential matters.
b. The client who is fli rtatious and provocative with staff members of
the opposite sex.
c. The client who is hypervigilant and refuses to attend unit activities.
d. The client who urges a suspicious client to hit anyone who stares.
ANS: D
This is a manipulative behavior. Because man ipulation violates the
rights of others, limit setting is absolutely necessary. Furthermore,
limit setting is necessary in this case because the safet y of at least two
, other clients is at risk. Limit setting may occasionall y be used with
dependent behavior (clinging to the nurse) and histrionic behavior
(flirting with staff members), but other therapeutic techniques are also
useful. Limit setting is not needed for a client who is hypervigilant and
refuses to attend unit activities; rather, the need to devel op trust is
central to client compliance.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Anal yze (Anal ysis) TOP:
Nursing Process: Planning MSC: Client Needs: Safe,
Effective Care Environment
4. The nurse caring for an individual demonstrating symptoms of schizot ypal
personalit y disorder would expect assessment findings to include what
characteristics?
a. arrogant, grandiose, and a sense of self -importance.
b. attention seeking, melodramatic, and flirtatious.
c. impulsive, restless, sociall y aggressive behavior.
d. sociall y anxious, rambling stories, peculiar ideas.
ANS: D
Individuals with schizot ypal personalit y disorder do not want to be
involved in relationships. They are shy and introverted, speak little,
and prefer fantasy and daydreaming to being involved with real people.
The other behaviors would characteristicall y be noted in narcissistic,
histrionic, and antisocial personalit y disorder.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Understand (Comprehension)
TOP: Nursing Process: Assessment MSC: Client Needs:
Psychosocial Integrity
