Skip to main content

Therapeutic Relationships and Communication in Psychiatric Nursing Study Guide

This guide provides essential information for nurses on managing patients with schizophrenia spectrum and psychotic disorders. It covers key concepts such as understanding the disorders, clinical assessment, pharmacologic management including typical and atypical antipsychotics, and holistic nursing interventions. The guide also touches upon the Roy Adaptation Model and evaluation of care, aiming to equip nurses with the knowledge to provide effective and safe patient care.

Save this study guide to your study set

Sign up free

Your learning path

Mental Health and Mental Illness Fundamentals

Mental Health and Mental Illness Theory

This section examines the continuum of mental health and mental illness, diagnostic criteria, epidemiology, risk factors, and physiological and psychological responses to stress.

  • continuum of mental health and mental illness
  • critical thinking and decision-making
  • diagnostic criteria
  • epidemiology
  • risk factors
  • DSM-V
  • physiological and psychological responses to stress
  • anxiety
  • psychiatric-mental health nursing
  • coping and ego defense mechanisms
  • therapeutic communication

Ethical and Legal Issues in Mental Health

Ethical and Legal Issues in Mental Health

Nurses must understand privacy standards, informed consent, the implications of restraints and seclusion, negligence, and commitment issues in the mental health care setting.

  • ethics
  • morals
  • values
  • rights
  • autonomy
  • beneficence
  • nonmaleficence
  • justice
  • veracity
  • ethical decision-making model
  • statutory law
  • common law
  • civil law
  • criminal law
  • malpractice
  • negligence
  • informed consent
  • restraints
  • seclusion
  • privacy standards

Relationship Development and Therapeutic Communication

Therapeutic Relationship and Communication Objectives

This content focuses on the nurse's use of therapeutic communication and the nurse-client therapeutic relationship to facilitate problem solving.

  • therapeutic communication
  • nurse-client therapeutic relationship
  • territoriality
  • density
  • distance
  • nonverbal expression
  • verbal communication techniques
  • motivational interviewing
  • active listening
  • therapeutic feedback
  • phases of relationship development

Crisis Intervention and Nursing Care

Crisis Intervention and Nursing Care

Nurses facilitate healthy coping and adaptation to change, loss, and stress in individuals, families, or communities experiencing crisis.

  • Crisis definition
  • Phases of crisis development
  • Types of crises
  • Crisis intervention goals
  • Role of the nurse in crisis intervention
  • Steps in crisis intervention
  • Nursing diagnoses for crisis
  • Primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention
  • Nursing process for disaster victims
  • Anger and aggression
  • Maladaptive expression of anger
  • Client safety assessment
  • Suicidal or homicidal ideation
  • Therapeutic communication

The Recovery Model in Mental Health

The Recovery Model in Mental Health

The recovery model for mental health treatment is founded in the principles of empowerment and client directed care.

  • Recovery model
  • Empowerment
  • Client directed care
  • SAMHSA guiding principles
  • Tidal Model
  • WRAP Model
  • Psychological Recovery Model
  • Nursing interventions

Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders

Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders

Nurses must recognize and treat maladaptive stress responses and identify symptomology associated with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Acute Stress Disorder, and adjustment disorders.

  • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
  • Acute Stress Disorder
  • Adjustment disorders
  • Trauma-informed care
  • Maladaptive stress responses
  • Epidemiology of trauma- and stressor-related disorders
  • Therapeutic communication
  • Secondary traumatization
  • Comorbid disorders
  • Nursing interventions

Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive, and Related Disorders

Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive, and Related Disorders

Assess patients for various types of anxiety, GAD, panic, phobias, and obsessive-compulsive disorders while providing therapeutic interactions and nursing interventions.

  • Stress, anxiety, and fear differentiation
  • Normal versus clinically significant anxiety
  • Epidemiology and predisposing factors
  • Symptomatology of anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders
  • Nursing diagnoses and outcome criteria
  • Nursing interventions and patient teaching
  • Nutritional management
  • Pharmacologic management of antidepressants and benzodiazepines
  • Nursing process

Nursing Management of Depressive Disorders

Nursing Management of Depressive Disorders

This section focuses on the nursing process as it relates to clients experiencing alteration in perception or alteration in thought secondary to Depression.

  • Depressive disorders
  • DSM-V criteria
  • Epidemiology of depression
  • Predisposing factors
  • Symptomatology
  • Nursing process
  • Nursing diagnoses
  • Treatment modalities
  • Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
  • Serotonin syndrome
  • Pharmacologic management
  • Tricyclic drugs
  • SSRIs
  • MAOIs
  • Nutrition management

Suicide Prevention and Nursing Interventions

Nursing Theory and Objectives for Suicide Prevention

The nurse must assess clients for suicidal ideation, provide therapeutic interactions, and apply the nursing process to individuals exhibiting suicidal behavior.

  • suicidal ideation
  • therapeutic interactions
  • verbal and non-verbal communication
  • interdisciplinary team
  • epidemiological statistics
  • risk factors
  • predisposing factors
  • etiology of suicide
  • nursing process
  • screening tools
  • outpatient services
  • mental health

Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders

Schizophrenia Spectrum and Psychotic Disorders

Assess patients for various phases of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders while providing therapeutic interactions and nursing management.

  • Schizophrenia spectrum disorder
  • Psychotic disorders
  • Predisposing factors
  • Symptomatology
  • Nursing diagnoses
  • Nursing interventions
  • Nutritional management
  • Pharmacologic management
  • Typical antipsychotic drugs
  • Atypical antipsychotic drugs
  • Anti-Parkinson’s drugs
  • Nursing process

Antipsychotic Pharmacology Fundamentals

Mechanism of Action

Understanding how antipsychotics target dopamine pathways, specifically the blockade of D2 receptors in the mesolimbic pathway.

  • dopamine pathways
  • D2 receptors
  • mesolimbic pathway
  • antipsychotics

First-Generation vs. Second-Generation

Distinguishing between classic high-potency agents and newer atypical agents that balance dopamine and serotonin activity.

  • first-generation antipsychotics
  • second-generation antipsychotics
  • dopamine activity
  • serotonin activity

Evolution of Antipsychotics

A historical timeline of antipsychotic development from early agents to newer generations.

  • antipsychotic development
  • historical timeline
  • Chlorpromazine
  • third-generation agents

Dopamine Pathway Targeting

Detailed look at the mesolimbic pathway and the therapeutic effects of dopamine antagonism.

  • mesolimbic pathway
  • dopamine antagonism
  • therapeutic effects
  • antipsychotic action

First-Generation Antipsychotics

Haloperidol Mastery

Learning the 'HALO' mnemonic to identify high potency, acute dystonia risk, and high EPS risk.

  • high potency antipsychotics
  • acute dystonia
  • EPS risk

Acute Dystonia Management

Understanding the risk of muscle spasms early in treatment with high-potency agents.

  • acute dystonia
  • muscle spasms
  • high-potency antipsychotics
  • early treatment side effects

Extrapyramidal Side Effects (EPS)

Comparing the high EPS risk of certain agents against others.

  • Extrapyramidal Side Effects (EPS)
  • antipsychotic side effects
  • risk comparison

Cardiac Risks: QTc Prolongation

The specific risk of QTc prolongation when administering certain antipsychotics intravenously versus orally.

  • QTc prolongation
  • antipsychotics
  • intravenous administration
  • oral administration
  • cardiac risks

Second-Generation Antipsychotics

Clozapine Monitoring

Using the 'CLOZ' mnemonic to manage risks: Neutrophil counts (Agranulocytosis), Seizure threshold, Obesity, and Zero WBCs.

  • agranulocytosis
  • seizure threshold
  • metabolic effects
  • WBC count

Risperidone and Prolactin

Understanding hyperprolactinemia and its associated mnemonic for breast development/gynecomastia.

  • risperidone
  • hyperprolactinemia
  • gynecomastia

Paliperidone vs Risperidone

Distinguishing between paliperidone and its active metabolite risperidone, including metabolism and excretion differences.

  • paliperidone
  • risperidone
  • active metabolite
  • drug metabolism
  • drug excretion

Olanzapine Metabolic Profile

Managing the metabolic risks associated with olanzapine, including obesity, potential skin issues, oral dissolving options, and mortality warnings in elderly patients.

  • olanzapine
  • metabolic syndrome
  • side effects
  • elderly patients
  • second-generation antipsychotics

Ziprasidone Administration

Critical requirements for administering ziprasidone, including EKG checks, a minimum calorie intake from food, and twice-daily dosing.

  • ziprasidone
  • administration guidelines
  • EKG monitoring
  • food intake
  • dosing
  • second-generation antipsychotics

Comparative Weight Gain

Analyzing the 6-month weight gain potency across various antipsychotic agents, including clozapine, olanzapine, risperidone, and ziprasidone.

  • weight gain
  • antipsychotics
  • clozapine
  • olanzapine
  • risperidone
  • ziprasidone
  • comparative analysis
  • second-generation antipsychotics

Make it your own.

Keep these readings and topics in a new study set, or add them to one you already use.

Get started freeLog in