Question

A client with self-inflected wrist lacerations was stabilized in the emergency department and then transferred to the inpatient psychiatric unit for observation and treatment with antidepressants. after initiating antidepressant therapy, the client is now exhibiting an increase in energy levels. what nursing intervention is most appropriate?

Answer 1

In this case it would be important that the patient it still kept on suicide watch and the nurse continues with suicide precautions. Even though the patient is exhibiting signs that the anti depressants are making a difference to their mood the nurse cannot be 100% sure that the drugs will continue to work or that the patient is telling the truth about how they really feel and of course there is always a chance of relapse. The patient still needs to be monitored for a while longer until the nurse can be sure that the threat of another suicide attempt has significantly decreased or gone.