Practice Question
The client has recently started antidepressant drug therapy. He approaches the nurse complaining of a headache, palpitations, and stiffness in the neck. What is the nurse's priority action?
Answer Choices:
Correct Answer:
Notify the physician when convenient
Rationale:
🔴 Hypertensive crisis risk – Headache, palpitations, and neck stiffness in a client taking antidepressants (especially MAOIs) are classic warning signs of a hypertensive crisis, which can be life-threatening.
🔴 Immediate intervention required – This condition requires urgent medical evaluation and treatment with antihypertensives to prevent complications such as stroke or intracranial hemorrhage.
🔴 Not a common side effect – These are serious adverse symptoms, not expected mild side effects, making reassurance inappropriate.
🔴 Nursing priority – The nurse’s role is to recognize early warning signs and act quickly to prevent fatal cardiovascular or neurological events.
Want to practice more questions like this?
This question is from ATI LPN Mental Health Quiz Chapter 19-24 which contains 25 questions.
More Questions from This Exam
A nurse is reinforcing teaching with a group of adolescents regarding identifying behavioral indicators of depression. Which of the following manifestations should the nurse include? (Select all that apply.)
Answer Choices:
A client continually reports physical symptoms in the absence of objective clinical findings. The nurse should suspect which of the following disorders?
Answer Choices:
Depression in adolescence usually is related to loneliness, family strengths, self-esteem, and which of the following?
Answer Choices:
The death rate from anorexia is higher than any other mental illness. Death usually results from which of the following? (Select all that apply.)
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What is the main issue for adolescents with anorexia?
Answer Choices:
Question Details
- Category: LPN Nursing Exam(s)
- Subcategory: LPN ATI Exams
- Domain: Mental Health
- Answer Choices: 4